A Fianna Fáil backbencher has called for health board policy on controlling the bank accounts of elderly psychiatric patients to be investigated by the Dáil Public Accounts Committee. Mark Brennock, Chief Political Correspondent, reports.
Mr John McGuinness, who got information on this practice through a series of Dáil questions, said yesterday that such patients and their families were becoming increasingly concerned over the control of their financial affairs by health boards.
Senior management from a number of health boards were likely to appear before the Public Accounts Committee before Christmas, and he proposed to question them on the matter.
According to Mr McGuinness, the Disabled Persons' Maintenance Allowance is paid into the bank accounts of elderly psychiatric patients who are in hospital or residential care, and these bank accounts are controlled by the health boards.
"They take €34 for your keep, €20 for maintenance, and then dip in and out of these accounts to replace furniture in the rooms of these people. I think it's a very mean-spirited policy," he said yesterday.
He said many of these elderly patients with psychiatric problems were not fully aware of the situation.
However, one had recently taken legal advice and raised the issue, and this had led to others following suit. Now staff of institutions housing such patients were becoming concerned that they could be exposed to litigation for operating this system, he maintained.
"When you are in hospital, you aren't asked to buy your bed or your locker," said Mr McGuinness, adding that the practice should be questioned in relation to elderly psychiatric patients.