About a quarter of them are relatives of residents in homes other than Leas Cross.

The Leas Cross Death Relatives Action Group is calling for a public inquiry into how the abuse in Leas Cross was allowed to take place and why evidence of neglect and abuse was not acted on earlier.

John Monahan, a spokesperson for the group, said they were "looking for a briefing from Des O'Neill and Martin Hynes, who carried out reviews of Leas Cross for the Health Services Executive (HSE), and for specific information on their own family members which has been totally unsatisfactory to date.

If the HSE want to be customer-friendly here is an opportunity for them to start."

Monahan said many of the people contacting the group are afraid to speak publicly and are reluctant to contact the HSE as they do not expect an impartial response. The group have sought to meet the Taoiseach and the health minister but "the silence is deafening", says Monahan.