The Health Service Executive is to assume responsibility for disability and mental health services run by the St John of God charity, due to an “intolerable” financial deficit facing the organisation. St John of God Community Services, part of the wider SJOG Hospitaller Services Group, is funded by the HSE to provide services to 8,000 children and adults on behalf of the State. The charity employs 2,500 people and is one of the biggest providers of intellectual disability and mental health services in the country. It has been grappling with a mounting financial deficit in recent years, citing underfunding from the HSE. In a letter to staff, seen by The Irish Times, chief executive Clare Dempsey said the organisation’s financial deficit had reached €37.7 million.

Source: The Irish Times October 01, 2020 01:41 UTC