The Leas Cross scandal erupted in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

when the

nursing home A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of elderly or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as skilled nursing facility (SNF) or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms have slightly different meanings to i ...

with this name, located near Swords in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

, closed several weeks after a 2005 '' Prime Time'' television report revealed sub-standard living conditions there.Leas Cross Nursing Home to close
irishhealth.com, 7/7/2005, retrieved 9 April 2009 The documentary showed a patient with several

bedsore Pressure ulcers, also known as pressure sores, bed sores or pressure injuries, are localised damage to the skin and/or underlying tissue that usually occur over a bony prominence as a result of usually long-term pressure, or pressure in combi ...

s who went on to develop

MRSA Methicillin-resistant ''Staphylococcus aureus'' (MRSA) is a group of Gram-positive bacteria that are genetically distinct from other strains of ''Staphylococcus aureus''. MRSA is responsible for several difficult-to-treat infections in humans. ...

.Probe into deaths of 95 at nursing home
Gene McKenna and Eilish O'Regan, Irish Independent, 28 October 2005, retrieved 9 April 2009 Public concern over the Leas Cross scandal led to the formation of the

Health Information and Quality Authority The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA, ; Irish: ''An t-Údarás um Fhaisnéis agus Cáilíocht Sláinte'' ) is a statutory, government-funded agency in Ireland which monitors the safety and quality of the healthcare and social care sy ...

(HIQA).

Hynes Report

Peter McKenna, a 60-year-old man with

Down syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual dis ...

and Alzheimer's, who died 13 days after being transferred to the home in 2000, was the subject of a report by Martin Hynes, former head of the

Irish Blood Transfusion Service The Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS), or ''Seirbhís Fuilaistriúcháin na hÉireann'' in Irish, was established in Ireland as the ''Blood Transfusion Service Board'' (''BTSB'') by the ''Blood Transfusion Service Board (Establishment) Orde ...

. Doctor queried disabled man's care before death
Eilis O'Regan, Irish Independent, 16 November 2005, retrieved 9 April 2009 Mr. McKenna had been transferred from St. Michael's House to the nursing home despite the objections of his family - he was a ward of court. He needed round-the-clock nursing care but that was difficult to manage in the nursing home. St. Michael's House described the report as flawed.

O'Neill Report

A report by Professor Des O'Neill reviewed deaths at the home between 2002 and 2005, finding that care was deficient and it was consistent with a finding of

institutional abuse Institutional abuse is the maltreatment of a person (often children or older adults) from a system of power. This can range from acts similar to home-based child abuse, such as neglect, physical and sexual abuse, and hunger, to the effects of assist ...

.Leas Cross report finds 'systematic abuse'
RTÉ News, 10 November 2006, retrieved 9 April 2009Leas Cross Report

Health Service Executive The Health Service Executive (HSE) ( ga, Feidhmeannacht na Seirbhíse Sláinte) is the publicly funded healthcare system in Ireland, responsible for the provision of health and personal social services. It came into operation on 1 January 2005 ...

, last updated 18 August 2008, retrieved 9 April 2009 The report also expressed concern at the short time between patients being transferred from hospitals to the nursing home, particularly in the case of patients from St. Itas Psychiatric Hospital.Leas Cross–catalogue of neglect
irishhealth.com, 11 November 2006, retrieved 9 April 2009 It also stated that there was almost a complete absence of systematic monitoring of deaths in Irish nursing homes.

References

{{Reflist 2005 in Ireland 2005 in Irish politics 2005 scandals Medical scandals in the Republic of Ireland Political scandals in the Republic of Ireland Prime Time (Irish TV programme)