Martin says ‘no issue' with bigger fines for nursing homes as HIQA in new powers & ‘change catalyst' call after RTE doc

IRELAND'S health watchdog does not have the power to tackle or punish big businesses that have taken over Ireland's nursing home industry, HIQA bosses confessed today.
It comes as officials issued a grovelling apology over the failings that saw residents being abused and neglected in two homes that were exposed by an
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Beneavin Manor featured in a bombshell RTE expose
Credit: � 2025 PA Media, All Rights Reserved
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Footage from the doc revealed neglect of patients
Credit: RTÉ Investigates
Both of these homes have since been hit with warnings that they could be closed down if improvements are not made with gardai also called in to investigate incidents covered in the exposé.
And today Taoiseach
He also said that closures have to be used as 'a real consequence' for some nursing homes that are neglecting residents.
The
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The documentary revealed
The Oireachtas Health Committee today heard that 198 allegations of abuse of residents had been made in relation to Beneavin Manor while 40 allegations of abuse were made in the Residence in Portlaoise since 2023.
The health watchdog HIQA told TDs and Senators that both homes have been issued warnings that they could have their registration cancelled if drastic improvements are not made.
The company – Emeis Ireland – owns 23 more nursing homes in Ireland with HIQA launching new inspections in each of these facilities following the RTE exposé.
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HIQA CEO Angela Fitzgerald issued a grovelling apology to the public over the nursing home scandal following criticism that the watchdog had previously signed off on the homes.
She said: 'The recent RTÉ Investigates, was incredibly distressing and I want to apologise to anyone who feels let down by HIQA as the regulator.
LACK OF POWER
'What we witnessed in the programme should never have happened, and I hope that this can be a catalyst for change at a number of levels.
'I want to assure you that we have taken a number of steps to ensure the safety of residents and will continue to do so.'
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The HIQA boss also revealed to TDs and Senators that the State's watchdog does not have the power to fine or punish big businesses that are now running our nursing home sector.
Some 75 per cent of nursing homes in Ireland are now owned by private companies – an increase from 30 per cent just 20 years ago.
Just 15 large companies are in charge of 10,000 spaces for people in nursing homes in Ireland.
While HIQA does have the power to close down a nursing home, the watchdog does not have the power to go after the businesses that own the homes.
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'SYSTEM NOT WORKING'
HIQA told the Oireachtas Health Committee that they would need to be given extra powers from the Government in order to go after businesses with fines.
The Dublin TD claimed the 'State walked away' and allowed a 'corporate takeover' of the care of older people in Ireland.
She said the 'system is not working' if 198 complaints can be made against a nursing home but there is no accountability until RTE's undercover reporters show up.
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Health Information and Quality Authority Chief Executive Angela Fitzgerald
Credit: � 2025 PA Media, All Rights Reserved

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Irish Daily Mirror

a day ago

• Irish Daily Mirror

Inspector who cleared nursing home with abuse allegations worked on same campus

The 'lead' HIQA inspector who cleared controversial Beneavin Manor twice last year, despite almost 200 notifications of alleged abuse, worked in a sister nursing home on the same campus for two years, the Irish Mirror can reveal. In a lengthy statement, the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) denied any wrongdoing, saying that the nursing home had changed ownership between the time the person worked there and the completion of the inspections. Beneavin Manor and The Residence in Portlaoise, Co Laois, were featured in an RTÉ Investigates documentary earlier this month. The homes, which are run by Emeis Ireland, were widely criticised after the undercover footage of residents crying out for help, being left in soiled clothes, and being incorrectly handled. An interim report from HIQA, published on Tuesday evening, revealed that there have been 198 notifications regarding suspected or confirmed allegations of abuse to residents in Beneavin Manor between January 2022 and June 2025. The Irish Mirror can now reveal that a HIQA inspector who used to work in Beneavin House was involved in two inspections at Beneavin Manor last year, which found that the nursing home was mostly compliant. Beneavin House, Beneavin Manor and Beneavin Lodge are all situated directly beside each other in Glasnevin. All are now owned by Emeis. The inspector is listed as the 'lead' inspector in two inspections at Firstcare Beneavin Manor on May 15 2024 and November 7 2024. The May report found that Beneavin Manor was 'compliant' or 'substantially compliant' under most regulations. However, it was found non-compliant with three regulations, including governance and management, contracts for the provision of services, and food and nutrition. The November report noted they were 'compliant' and 'substantially compliant' on all regulations. According to LinkedIn, the person listed as the lead inspector on both reports worked as a Clinical Nurse Manager at Beneavin House Nursing Home between June 2015 and June 2017. They then worked as director of nursing in two other nursing homes before moving to HIQA to become an inspector in September 2020. In a lengthy statement, HIQA stated that the nursing home had changed ownership and the inspector had never worked for Beneavin House under the new ownership. A spokesperson said that HIQA has a conflict of interest policy and 'inspectors of social services employed to inspect nursing homes have often worked in nursing homes in the public or private sector or a combination of both' and that a 'key requirement of any applicant for a job as an inspector is at least three years' experience working in a supervisory or management position in a health or social care service, regulatory, or other setting deemed relevant by the Authority'. They continued: '[Name] commenced work as an inspector of social services in September 2020. 'As is standard practice and in line with our conflict of interest policy, she was not required to inspect or to have regulatory oversight of those centres where she worked previously. 'As [she] was employed by Beneavin House Ltd, (the then owner of Beneavin House between 2015 and 2017), this centre and the other Beneavin Centres were not included in [her] caseload at that time. 'Given the passage of time and the change in ownership of the nursing homes in 2024, the issue of a conflict of interest was discussed again by [name] and her line manager with both satisfied that there was no longer any conflict of interest or any reason why [she] would not inspect First Care Beneavin Manor or the First Care Beneavin Lodge. 'She has not inspected First Care Beneavin House, the centre where she used to work. 'To be clear, [she] has never worked for Firstcare Beneavin House Ltd, the company that currently owns First Care Beneavin House, which was acquired by Emeis in 2024. 'In addition, [she] has not worked in Beneavin Manor or been employed by Firstcare Beneavin Manor Ltd. '[She] has never been employed by Emeis or any of the companies that are owned or operated by Emeis.'

Irish Examiner

2 days ago

• Irish Examiner

'Trust is broken': Committee hears of calamity and failures by CHI over children's surgery controversy

Calamity, failures in care, broken trust, and stonewalling of parents were raised during an emotional Oireachtas Health Committee with Children's Health Ireland (CHI) which left many questions unanswered. The discussion focused on unnecessary hip surgeries at Temple Street and Cappagh hospitals, unapproved springs in spinal surgery, a toxic work culture, and delays in care identified in an unpublished report from 2021. Only 72 out of about 1,800 children affected by the hip surgery controversy have so far been seen, CHI clinical director Ike Okefor confirmed. He expects it will meet the six-month deadline. He apologised for how the opening review clinics were run, with one case involving a five-and-a-half-hour appointment. Sinn Féin health spokesman David Cullinane asked specific questions about care in oncology and urology in light of the unpublished 2021 report. He asked if parents of children referred to in that document as 'Crumlin orphans' were told about the alleged sup-optimal care outlined. Parents feel, he said, 'stonewalled, they feel they are meeting with a wall of resistance, they say they are being failed". When he was told information was not given to them, he said it is a "failure". CHI CEO Lucy Nugent said its legal advice remains not to publish the report. A HSE official – Kate Killeen White, regional executive officer for Dublin Midlands – said she referred concerns in that report about use of public money to gardaí. She said CHI had not considered the problems had met the threshold for garda involvement. Senator Tom Clonan and others asked about potential risks of infertility for children waiting too long for treatment of undescended testes, as described in that unpublished report. CHI was unable to say how many were affected. Ms Nugent said it sought advice on the potential impacts. 'They did not meet the threshold for open disclosure,' she said. Senator Maria Byrne raised the issue of national oversight for hip dysplasia care, asking why a Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) review into this last year had not led to a national universal screening programme. HSE chief clinical officer Dr Colm Henry said Hiqa advised a more targeted screening programme, but said the HSE is 'trying to finalise a proposal' for universal screening. There is selected screening at 16 centres, he said, adding the HSE 'will certainly be making the case' for expansion to the National Screening Advisory Committee. Questions were asked about oversight of devices in light of Hiqa's report in April on use of unapproved springs in surgeries. Former CEO Eilish Hardiman was asked to comment in light of her continuing key role in the moves to the new hospital. 'Part of the accountability is being here today and answering the questions to the best of my ability,' she said. 'I accept that there were weaknesses, and I've apologised for those particular weaknesses, we have put in structures and processes to try and address them.' These changes include improvements in procurement. Committee chair Padraig Rice said he was not satisfied in general and particularly on the non-publishing of reports. He asked CHI to share their legal advice on the 2021 report. 'Trust is broken,' he said. Ms Nugent and Ms Hardiman apologised to families repeatedly during heated discussions, with the new CEO pledging a new culture will take them into the national children's hospital.

Irish Independent

2 days ago

• Irish Independent

The Irish Independent's View: Sweeping reforms of nursing-home care must be prioritised

However, when those being let down so badly are some of the most vulnerable people in our country, this is unacceptable. When confronted over the 'scandalous' treatment of older people in privately run nursing homes, as revealed by RTÉ, Taoiseach Micheál Martin replied that he had 'no issue' with bigger fines being imposed. The question mark left hanging in the air was: Why are greater fines for abuses not already in place? Mr Martin must surely recognise that when you are charged with running a country and are confronted by serious failures, it is you who has responsibility to not only prevent such breaches, but to ensure they do not happen again. Faith in the level of state concern for the welfare and protection of older people has been undermined. If it is to be repaired, we need to see tougher measures to guarantee standards of care are being taken seriously and will be rigorously upheld. Where there ought to have been zero tolerance, we have instead seen too many betrayals of trust when it comes to maintaining safeguards for older people in care. As pointed out by Sinn Féin's health spokesperson David Cullinane, 75pc of Ireland's nursing homes are privately run. He was correct to say that 'older people are being failed'. Old age is not a disease – it is strength and survivorship It will also trouble many to learn that Hiqa – the regulator for nursing homes – does not have the 'far-reaching powers' it needs to deal with the private firms that run them. Its chief, Angela Fitzgerald, told the Oireachtas Committee on Health that the watchdog can only direct individual providers to do something and that it does not have 'powers' to direct companies. Also addressing the committee, junior minister Kieran O'Donnell said he too had 'concerns' about the increasing privatisation of the nursing-home sector. He said it was his hope that further safeguards would be brought forward 'as a matter of urgency'. One has to wonder why, two decades after the appalling revelations concerning abuses of the elderly at Leas Cross, there could be any lack of enforcement measures to make all those involved in nursing-home care accountable for mistreatment of any kind. Given that the entire landscape has been transformed with the predominance of private-care concerns, it is extraordinary that stringent enforcement controls were not also put in place. Sweeping reform of regulations and standards must be prioritised if trust is to be restored. American activist Maggie Kuhn, who founded the Gray Panthers movement to campaign for older people, said: 'Old age is not a disease – it is strength and survivorship, triumph over all kinds of vicissitudes and disappointments, trials and illnesses.' After a lifetime's service, older people surely should not have to battle their own State for their basic rights.