HSE must be transparent on Bloomfield failings, says Quaide

Social Democrats’ health spokesperson Liam Quaide has said that the HSE must publish its investigation into alleged “serious mistreatment and neglect” of residents at Bloomfield Hospital in Rathfarnham.

The Social Democrats TD submitted a parliamentary question, which revealed that the report is not intended for public release.

“The findings concerning the treatment of vulnerable residents at Bloomfield are appalling. Of further concern is the fact that the HSE, the Department of Health, the Mental Health Commission and the Minister for Health were not informed of these allegations until the independent investigation was being reported in the media,” Quaide said.

An independent investigation into whistleblower allegations found that some residents had been left soiled for an “unacceptable period”, slapped on the leg, sworn at and threatened with an injection to secure their co-operation. 

There were 11 trust-in-care reports relating to 17 patients in July 2025.

Following these allegations, the HSE commenced its own inspection and review of Bloomfield at the end of February. 

Quaide’s parliamentary question confirmed that a draft was presented to HSE Dublin Midlands and the National Office for Mental Health in early July, with a final report expected in August.

“However, the HSE has also confirmed that this report is not intended for external publication. That is completely indefensible,” Quaide said.

“The decision to withhold this report from public scrutiny reflects a longstanding culture of secrecy within the HSE: institutional self-protection, secrecy and a reflex to control information when serious failures are exposed,” the Cork TD stated.

“The public is entitled to know what the HSE’s investigation found, what failures it identified and what changes are required to ensure that vulnerable patients are protected.”

Bloomfield received a 94% compliance rating from the Mental Health Commission only months before the alleged mistreatment of residents came to light.

Quaide said, “it is extraordinary that the HSE is now invoking the Commission’s own Judgement Support Framework to investigate what went wrong – and then refusing to publish the result.”

“The HSE has put enhanced oversight arrangements in place at Bloomfield, including fortnightly assurance meetings and the weekly attendance of a senior HSE official on site. Bloomfield has also been closed to new admissions since December 2025.”

He said “these measures underline the seriousness of what occurred. They make transparency around the HSE’s investigation more important, not less.”

“The HSE should now commit to publishing the report in full, subject only to whatever limited redactions are genuinely necessary to protect the privacy of individuals. Residents, families, staff and the wider public deserve accountability for what went wrong at Bloomfield.”