Referrals made to gardaí after RTÉ documentary uncovered ‘appalling' treatment of residents at nursing homes
An Garda Síochána
following revelations in an
RTÉ
Investigates documentary that highlighted alleged staff shortages and unsafe practices in two nursing homes, according to a new report by the
Health Information and Quality Authority
(Hiqa).
On June 4th,
RTÉ Investigates broadcast a programme
that featured the care of residents in two nursing homes run by Emeis Ireland, the country's largest provider of private nursing homes – The Residence Portlaoise and Firstcare Beneavin Manor.
Since the programme was broadcast, Hiqa, the regulator, has carried out a number of inspections at the two nursing homes in question.
Management and staffing levels at both nursing homes have increased in recent weeks and senior management from Emeis 'have been engaged on site in both locations to provide ongoing oversight and direction to both centres', the report notes.
READ MORE
'External, independent consultants have been retained by Emeis to undertake a root cause analysis of what occurred in both centres, to inform further ongoing actions to be taken by the provider,' the report adds.
In some cases, staff disciplinary action has been initiated and 'where appropriate, referrals had been made to An Garda Síochána'.
Following the programme's airing, Minister of State for Older People
Kieran O'Donnell
asked Hiqa to compile a report on the 25 centres run by Emeis Ireland group. Inspectors have since commenced a programme of inspection.
In its report, Hiqa noted that the resident care depicted in the RTÉ programme 'was wholly unacceptable and an offence to the human rights and dignity of those residents'.
'Hiqa is appalled by the way that residents were treated, and such treatment goes against the core values of Hiqa and its staff,' the report says.
'Residents have the right to expect to receive care of the highest quality at all times and providers of nursing homes are required under the regulations to ensure they have systems in place to ensure that they do. Responsibility for the safety and care of residents rests with the individual provider of each nursing home and their staff.'
The report states that the deputy editor of RTÉ Investigates wrote to Hiqa on May 23rd informing the organisation that the broadcaster was planning to air the programme. Following this, Hiqa said its deputy chief inspector 'engaged with the providers and sought immediate assurances about the safety and welfare of the residents'.
'A series of unannounced inspections commenced ... ... [at] both nursing homes in the evening and in the early hours of the morning, as well as during the day, to ascertain the service provided at all times of day and night,' the report noted.
Inspections of The Residence Portlaoise were carried out on June 5th, 8th and 12th. Inspections of Firstcare Beneavin Manor were carried out on June 5th, 9th and 12th.
The report stated: 'As expected, inspectors found that the provider had taken a range of measures to address the immediate risk to residents.
'Over the three days of inspection of both Firstcare Beneavin Manor and The Residence Portlaoise, inspectors found that the issues contributing to the lack of supplies and linen had been addressed.
'While actions had been taken to improve staffing, further improvements to staffing and staff supervision were required with immediate effect.'
Mr O'Donnell and Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, alongside other officials from the Department of Health, met with Hiqa on Monday, June 30th, to discuss the report.
A spokesperson for the department said Hiqa told the Ministers that the authority 'would continue their intensive engagement with the Emeis Ireland Group of Nursing Homes'.
'The contents and findings of both reports are being considered, including the need for additional regulatory powers in respect of nursing homes, with actions in this regard to be taken as a matter of priority,' the spokesperson said in a statement on Tuesday evening.
'It is important that all aspects of the nursing home sector are scrutinised over the coming period to ensure that service delivery and configuration meet the needs of residents and their families in a sustainable and safe manner.
'The welfare of residents and their families remains the Ministers' and government's highest priority.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
37 minutes ago
- Irish Times
HSE chief tells Oireachtas group that ‘we took our eye off the ball'
'We took our eye off the ball', the head of the HSE Bernard Gloster acknowledged as he sought to explain how the practice known as third-party insourcing had expanded into a multimillion euro industry living inside the public hospital system. A report he had drawn up for Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill revealed that in 27 months to the end of March this year, close to €100 million had been paid out on engaging external companies that use HSE-owned facilities and equipment after normal working hours – in many cases employing existing health service staff – to reduce public waiting lists. The report reveals 83 serving or former health staff are acting as directors in 148 companies providing what are known as insourcing and outsourcing – another system which involves buying care in outside private facilities – arrangements to reduce waiting lists. It says 23 of these company directors are employed by the HSE. READ MORE Gloster told the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health that over two decades insourcing arrangements had grown from 'a small localised thing' to a level where the health system was now overly dependent on it. 'People saw opportunities, entrepreneurially,' he said, although he stressed there was nothing unlawful about being a company director. He defined insourcing as the practice of engaging external companies or third-party providers to deliver services, often outside of normal working hours, using HSE-owned facilities and equipment. 'In many cases, these providers may employ or subcontract staff who are already directly employed by the HSE, effectively re-engaging internal staff through a separate commercial arrangement, typically at premium rates.' The availability of such premium payments for working for insourcing companies, the HSE chief acknowledged, also made regular overtime less attractive. Gloster told Fianna Fáil TD Martin Daly that the focus of hospitals in embracing insourcing had been a rush to do the right thing and reduce waiting lists. However, he argued that the effective governance of insourcing arrangements became 'quite questionable'. Over recent weeks, there have been significant controversies surrounding insourcing arrangements at Children's Health Ireland, Beaumont Hospital and – the public was told for the first time on Wednesday – at Naas General Hospital . Internal auditors have been sent into Naas to look at concerns over the use of National Treatment Purchase Fund financing. Gloster concluded, following his analysis of the scale of insourcing, that it was now time to wind down the whole process. He has recommended to the Minister that insourcing should end by June 30th, 2026. It cannot be shelved immediately as this would leave patients relying on such services in the lurch. But in the meantime, new controls and safeguards will be introduced. Gloster's plan is for the regular health service to carry out the work previously carried out by insourcing, using new, more flexible rosters now agreed with hospital consultants and other healthcare staff. But he warned that if a gap remains, it will have to be filled by sending more public patients to be treated in private hospitals. Ultimately, Carroll MacNeill is expected to decide on whether to call a halt to the insourcing train – which would appear to generate close to €50 million per year for those on board – by the end of July. However, the investigations into allegations of concern at Children's Health Ireland , Beaumont and now Naas arising from insourcing arrangements will likely run a lot longer.
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Naas hospital voluntarily paused insourcing amid concerns over use of public funding
Naas General Hospital voluntarily paused the use of an initiative to tackle waiting lists , after concerns were raised about the way in which public funding was used. The National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), a vehicle set up to reduce waiting lists, provides funding through outsourcing – the use of private facilities – and insourcing – the use of public facilities and staff outside of core working hours. In recent months concerns have been raised about the way in which the use of insourcing has been governed, after a leaked 2022 report from Children's Health Ireland (CHI) highlighted allegations about potential misuse of these funds. Funding for the hospital was temporarily suspended in light of these allegations but has since resumed, while funding for Beaumont Hospital has also been suspended in light of 'potential financial irregularities'. READ MORE Speaking at a meeting of the Oireachtas health committee on Wednesday, Bernard Gloster , chief executive of the Health Service Executive (HSE), confirmed concerns have also been raised about Naas General Hospital. According to Mr Gloster, the regional executive officer received correspondence outlining potential issues at the hospital. 'It's not unusual when the CHI report.. came the way it did that you would start to see sequentially people starting to express concerns. There is a concern about how NTPF funding was used or governed by Naas hospital. [An] internal audit will look at that,' Mr Gloster said. 'Conservatively' the audit will take about three months, he added. Fiona Brady, chief executive of the NTPF, said: 'Naas of their own volition stopped their own insourcing temporarily while they liaised with myself and my executive team and we are happy they will be rectifying this issue immediately.' Mr Gloster said the issue around insourcing is widespread, and not about individual doctors or hospitals. 'Fundamentally it appears to be a systemic issue, albeit very different in every hospital,' Mr Gloster said. He said there are 'mechanisms of governance' but the 'effectiveness of the governance is probably questionable' in relation to insourcing. In Mr Gloster's report to Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill on the topic, published late on Tuesday, he outlines a desire to wind down the use of insourcing by June of next year. The report states that a growth in insourcing without adequate oversight and controls can create conflicts of interest and lead to noncompliance with procurement rules; inequitable use of public funds, risk of abuse, misuse, fraud and low public confidence. Mr Gloster said the risks of insourcing are 'too high for the public', which is why he believes it should be phased out. An 'over-reliance' on the system has developed over time, he said. In the interim, he said there will be new 'protections' in relation to potential conflicts of interests. In recent years, the health service has taken steps to move towards a longer working week, with health unions last week agreeing to work five over seven days – increasing the hours of work outside of a typical Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Mr Gloster agreed the existence of insourcing creates an impediment to the extended working week. 'For as long as we have this type of third party insourcing, we will not get to five over seven in the management of waiting lists,' he said. 'Productivity will not be encouraged and risk of conflicts of interest remain.' The health chief was also critical of CHI's decision to to publish an anonymised version of the 2022 report. He expressed confidence in Lucy Nugent, the new chief executive, and the new board members, but said there is a 'way to go to see whether the entity [CHI] is sustainable in the future'.
Irish Times
8 hours ago
- Irish Times
Children's hospital contractor BAM to deliver €380m university campus project
A consortium led by national children's hospital contractor BAM is to deliver a €380 million university campus project, the Cabinet was told on Tuesday. The project, which will see the construction of five new buildings across multiple university campuses, is being delivered via a public-private partnership (PPP). The Dutch-owned builder has been involved in a long and bitter dispute with the State over cost and time overruns at the children's hospital project, which is now estimated to cost more than €1.5 billion above what was originally envisaged. The contract has been signed by the Invesis consortium, which consists of an investment company owned by BAM and a Dutch pension fund, alongside Bam Building Limited and BAM Facilities Management Ireland. READ MORE The Irish Times previously reported that the contract was awarded to the group despite the bid not meeting value-for-money tests. A previous financial cost/benefit analysis conducted by the State found that economic benefits outweigh the costs of the project, but ministers were told last year that the tender price also exceeded the upper end of a benchmark used in a value-for-money comparison test. These tests are designed to ensure a PPP costs less than using traditional procurement. The Government must give direct approval to contracts which exceed the public sector benchmark. Last December, Government figures argued that the projects would help economic growth regionally, generating €1.60 back for the State for every €1 it spends on the project. A spokeswoman for Minister for Higher and Further Education James Lawless said BAM have a track record in delivering projects as part of public-private partnerships. 'The PPP is very robust contract and as part of a PPP contract there is a significant risk transfer to the contractor,' the spokeswoman said. The risk transfer element means that the company only receive payment if the building is delivered, she said. BAM is building the project but the funding is being provided by a consortium of lenders, who will be the one's to lose out of the project is not delivered. 'Our contract is with the PPP company not the builder,' the spokeswoman said. The project consists of the second phase of a higher education PPP programme and will see new buildings constructed in the Waterford and Carlow campuses of the South East Technical University , and the Letterkenny and Galway campuses of the Technological University of the Shannon .
