‘Take immediate action' demand issued to Govt after ‘shocking' nursing home exposé amid calls for regulation overhaul
THE Government has been urged to urgently overhaul regulation of private nursing homes following a shocking
exposé
.
An
2
The leader slammed 'systematic' ageism
Credit: Getty Images
2
She blasted Michael Martin in calls for immediate action
Credit: 2024 PA Media, All Rights Reserved
Both are run by Ireland's top private nursing home provider Emeis Ireland, who have apologised for the failings.
Hiqa chiefs have now launched a sweeping review of all nursing homes operated by Emeis Ireland, who run 27 facilities across the country.
But as the
Speaking during Leaders' Questions, Bacik called for the establishment of a statutory adult safeguarding framework and a root-and-branch review of Hiqa's inspection practices.
READ MORE IN NEWS
And the Labour supremo insisted there must be 'accountability' for 'profit-driven neglect of older people'.
She said: 'The scenes revealed on RTE last Thursday were shocking – but for many, sadly, not surprising.
"We saw vulnerable older people in private nursing homes being manhandled, neglected and humiliated. They were calling out for help and being ignored.
"Staff were using incontinence pads as makeshift sheets because of equipment shortages. This is nothing short of systemic abuse.
Most read in Irish News
'Twenty years on from Leas Cross, the public is once again reeling. But despite expressions of sympathy and tributes to RTE Investigates, the Taoiseach's response today fell far short.
'NO TIMELINE'
"There was no timeline for change, no real accountability, and no mention of the voices that are still missing – the residents themselves.
'Absent from this debate are the people living in these institutions – out of sight and too often out of mind. If we are honest, systemic ageism has allowed a substandard care system to grow across our country.
"And it is deeply disturbing that so many families feel petrified about the thought of ageing or moving into a nursing home. I've heard from people whose loved ones were injured or denied basic medication.
"They tried to advocate, but were met with silence from Hiqa, the Ombudsman, or the HSA. This is utterly unacceptable."
'BEYOND BELIEF'
The Labour leader continued: 'Hiqa, which was established after Leas Cross to prevent further abuse, is not fulfilling its duties. Reports are relied on by families – but in too many cases, they are misleading and dangerous.
"It is beyond belief that Hiqa has been asked to lead the review of nursing home standards, despite its failure to spot the very abuses RTE exposed.
"The public deserves better. Older people deserve better.
'I'm calling on Government to stop paying lip service and take immediate action to protect older people. We need a safeguarding framework – as recommended by the Law Reform Commission last year. We need robust, independent oversight.
"And above all, we need to end the systemic ageism that has enabled the horrors we witnessed on RTE. Government must act now.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
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.
