Latest news with #HIQA
Extra.ie
6 days ago
- Health
- Extra.ie
Inspectors urged to go undercover and expose abuse in care homes
Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) inspectors should go undercover to expose abuse in nursing homes, Government TDs have said. However, senior officials at the watchdog are resistant and say their inspectors must show a warrant at the nursing home door. HIQA chief executive Angela Fitzgerald went before the Public Accounts Committee yesterday to apologise to nursing home residents featured in a damning RTÉ documentary. HIQA Chief Executive, Angela Fitzgerald. Pic: Sam Boal/Collins Photos She acknowledged that the organisation had failed to spot the wrongful treatment of residents in two nursing homes highlighted in the programme. Ms Fitzgerald told the committee the footage was 'some of the worst things [she] has ever seen'. The RTÉ Investigates documentary highlighted poor treatment and practices at two of the homes operating in the Emeis chain – The Residence in Portlaoise, Co. Laois, and Beneavin Manor in Glasnevin, Dublin. It showed staff at the nursing homes leaving residents dressed in inappropriate incontinence wear, leaving them unchanged for hours at a time, and residents being discovered in wet clothing after they had wet themselves. The Residence Portlaoise. Pic: The programme also showed a man with dementia being 'roughly handled' by staff. Fianna Fáil housing spokesman Séamus McGrath, a member of the PAC, said that nursing home staff text each other as soon as HIQA inspectors arrive and rush to cover up mistakes. He said that it was time for HIQA inspectors to go undercover, which was how RTE uncovered wrongdoing at nursing homes. 'I think for HIQA to really fulfil its role, inspectors have to carry out the same type of tactics as RTÉ,' he said. 'What we saw in the RTÉ programme was absolutely inhumane and HIQA is never going to ever see that unless they don't know you're there. That's the reality.' Pic: Shutterstock Mr McGrath's sentiment was echoed by PAC vice chair and fellow Fianna Fáil TD Paul McAuliffe. The Dublin deputy, whose constituency is home to Beneavin Manor, previously praised the techniques used by RTÉ journalists, telling the Dáil last month: 'An undercover camera captured what no inspector would ever see.' He also queried whether HIQA could deploy undercover inspectors to 'capture behaviour that is effectively being hidden'. He went on: 'You can have all the regulation in the world, but if people are willing to ignore good care practices, you have a problem… RTÉ were able to discover this because of the undercover nature [of their investigation].' The acting chief inspector at HIQA, Finbarr Colfer, told Mr McGrath that HIQA inspectors must declare their position when arriving at a centre so that any evidence that is collected during an inspection can be used in any proceedings that may arise after. Pic: Shutterstock 'The advice given to us is that we have to show our warrant, which gives us access to a centre, and that we should not be entering a designated centre without showing our warrant,' he said. HIQA referred 30 complaints about the treatment of nursing home residents to gardaí last year, the PAC was told at yesterday's hearing. Several members of the Oireachtas questioned the watchdog's ability to adequately hold the operators of healthcare facilities to account. The committee heard that in the course of three years, HIQA received 198 complaints of neglect at Beneavin Manor, one of the homes at the centre of the RTÉ documentary. HIQA ordered the closure of ten nursing homes last year, with seven shutting shortly after. Pic: Shutterstock This compares with two forced closures in 2020, three in 2021, one in 2022 and three in 2023. 'One nursing home has closed in 2025 foot of proceedings that were instigated in 2024,' Susan Cliffe, HIQA deputy chief inspector, told the committee. Sinn Féin TD Cathy Bennett questioned why enforced closure is not being used more frequently, pointing to Beneavin Manor, which is still operating. 'Current practices to enforce HIQA standards are obviously not working,' the CavanMonaghan TD said. Ms Cliffe said that where HIQA 'cannot be satisfied that registered providers will take the action to keep residents safe, [it] will use the legal powers available to [it]'. 'But we're very conscious a nursing home is home to a large number of residents, in some cases, so decisions to shut them down are only made as a last resort,' she added
RTÉ News
7 days ago
- Health
- RTÉ News
HIQA taking regulatory action against two nursing homes, PAC told
HIQA has again apologised to people who feel the agency let them down after revelations about neglect and staff shortages in two nursing homes run by Emeis Ireland. On 5 June, RTÉ Investigates revealed disturbing footage of older people being neglected at two homes, owned by the same for-profit company - The Residence in Portlaoise and Beneavin Manor in Glasnevin in Dublin. Health Information and Quality Authority CEO Angela Fitzgerald told the Public Accounts Committee this morning that it is taking regulatory action in the nursing homes featured in the programme. In her opening statement, she said HIQA is working with the Department of Health to look at areas where the regulatory and policy framework for nursing homes can be strengthened. The last time HIQA was before the PAC was in September 2017. An interim report by HIQA outlined the regulatory history of the 25 centres within the Emeis group, and detailed how it had to place restrictions on the operation of seven as they failed to comply with regulations. Earlier this month, HIQA said that Emeis Ireland had paused admissions to all the homes it runs. HIQA told the PAC that in the past 18 months, it has got extended regulatory powers in public hospitals and nursing homes, and also enabling it to monitor private hospitals. It is also conducting a statutory review, at the request of the Minister for Health, on whether a second emergency department is needed in the Mid-West region. In her opening statement, Ms Fitzgerald said she wanted to reiterate her "deepest concerns" about what was shown in the RTÉ Investigates programme. She said: "The conduct of staff and the behaviours witnessed were wholly unacceptable in any circumstance." Ms Fitzgerald said residents in nursing homes have a "right to be taken care of with dignity and respect". She said that "fundamentally, what we witnessed constituted a breach of basic human rights which can never be condoned." The PAC was also told that HIQA has a staff now of 450, an increase from 364 in 2023. In 2023, it got over €38.3m in funding. This was broken down as: €23m in Department of Health funding, over €7m in in annual fees and registration fees from providers of registered services, plus over €7m in grants from Government departments and public bodies for specific programmes of work.
Irish Independent
10-07-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
17 beds at a Cork nursing home remain closed due to ‘HIQA paperwork', local politician claims
Seventeen beds remain closed at a Bantry nursing home because the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) is 'dragging its heels,' according to a West Cork Councillor. Cllr Danny Collins put forward a motion at this week's meeting of the West Cork Municipal District calling on Cork County Council to write to HIQA to reopen the closed beds at Aperee Living Nursing Home in Seafield, Bantry. A receiver was appointed to the nursing home in July last year and it was one of five nursing homes operated by the Aperee Living group in Cork, Galway and Kilkenny put up for sale last autumn. Aperee Living was under pressure to meet regulatory standards at a number of its properties, leading to the closure of some and the HSE taking over the running of others. A HIQA report based on inspections carried out last year found the Bantry nursing home non-compliant in the areas of fire precautions, governance and management, and statement of purpose. Cllr Collins told the Irish Independent that the receiver has dealt with those issues and now it's up to HIQA to sign off on them to allow the empty beds to be opened to patients. 'So basically what happened here from day one is that HIQA has been dragging their heels to be quite honest. It's been going on for seven to eight months. The receiver did all the work that had to be done, they were finished by Christmas. And everything was passed by fire officers. And now it's just paperwork really. That's what's holding it up.' The Independent Ireland Councillor said the issue is exacerbating the shortage of nursing home beds in West Cork. 'At the moment we have 24 residents staying there, but there's 17 empty beds. A week hardly passes without either I or [West Cork TD] Michael Collins' office getting one or two people looking for beds,' he told this newspaper. Cllr Collins spoke of an elderly man who has to travel from West Cork to a nursing home in Kenmare to see his wife because there isn't a place available closer to home. 'It's a long journey for him to do, but if she was living in Bantry, he could call to her every morning or every evening.' The Bantry Councillor said he understands there is a buyer interested in buying the Seafield nursing home, but 'he's not going to buy unless everything is signed off. The ball is in HIQA's court. This could be all sorted out if they sat down around the table.' Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
The Journal
09-07-2025
- Health
- The Journal
Child protection referrals to Tusla reached record high in 2024
THE CHILD AND Family Agency, Tusla, handled the highest number of child protection referrals on record in 2024. Social workers dealt with 96,666 referrals last year, and that number is expected to exceed 100,ooo in 2025. Referrals were up by 4,742 compared to 2023. A team of 1,700 social workers dealt with the referrals, according to the agency's annual report published today. The report acknowledges that Ireland is 'not producing an adequate supply' of social workers and social care workers through third-level institutions to meet the existing and future requirements for the profession across public, private and voluntary sectors. 143 new social workers were appointed in 2024, but the Chief Executive of the agency Kate Duggan has said that at least 500 new social workers need to be appointed annually in order to keep pace with the demands on the service. Child protection referrals see a screening process commenced by a social worker which determines if a child is at immediate risk of harm. The most common type of protection concern reported in 2024 was emotional abuse, which accounted for 45% of the referrals, followed by physical abuse at 25%, neglect at 15% and sexual abuse at 15%. The report notes that not only has the amount of referrals increased, but the complexity of the cases has increased too due to the the prolonged impact of Covid-19 isolation on children and families, and the combined impact of cost-of-living pressures and the housing crisis. The most common source of referrals was the gardaí, who made close to one third of the overall referrals, followed by safeguarding officers, social workers, and teachers. Tusla's annual report states that this increase in referrals has a 'substantial impact' on duty teams and other front-line Tusla services, 'particularly in an environment where there are shortages of social work and social care staff across the country'. In 2024 604 children were admitted to care for the first time, with 916 children being admitted overall. Advertisement As of the end of 2024, 5,600 children were in Tusla's care, and an additional 330 separated children seeking international protection were also in the agency's care. Increase in non-statutory children's centres The first new statutory children's residential centre opened in 2024, a four-bedroom centre in Cavan, marking the first new centre to be brought into operation since 2017. However, there was a 20% increase in the number of non-statutory residential centres in 2024. At the end of 2023 164 non-statutory residential centres were registered with Tusla's Alternative Care Inspection and Monitoring Service. By the end of 2024 that figure had risen to 196. At the end of 2024 the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) expressed concerns about the number of children living in 'unregulated accommodation'. In a ten-year review of these services, HIQA noted that many children living in these centres were not allocated a social worker. The authority's Head of Programme for Children's Services said that the review found that children as young as 10 years of age have been living in hotel rooms and rented accommodation on an emergency basis. Children who are coming into the country unaccompanied are amongst those living in these centres. There has been a rapid increase in separated children seeking international protection coming into Tusla's care due to ongoing world conflicts. There were 619 referrals made to Tusla in respect of separated children, and 570 were taken into care or accommodated by Tusla during 2024, marking a 32% increase on 2023. One third of these children came from Ukraine, while tho thirds arrived from other countries including Somalia, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Palestine, Syria, Zimbabwe and Pakistan. In response Tusla opened 20 new non-statutory residential centres. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
RTÉ News
02-07-2025
- Health
- RTÉ News
Emeis Ireland pauses all nursing home admissions
The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has said that Emeis Ireland, the nursing home group which operates the two care centres featured in the RTÉ Investigates programme last month, has paused admissions to all 25 homes it runs in Ireland. An interim report published by HIQA outlines the regulatory history of the 25 centres, and details how it had to place restrictions on the operations of seven of the 25 homes as they failed to comply with regulations. The authority says at the Residence Portlaoise, which featured in the RTÉ Investigates programme, it had to issue "a formal letter warning of prosecution if the provider admitted any new residents and the condition was breached again", after it received information that the operator had not ceased admissions on 22 April as ordered. This followed a restrictive condition issued to the home after failings in care were discovered during inspections in October 2024, and in February this year. At the other home featured in the programme, Firstcare Beneavin Manor in Glasnevin in Dublin had a "chequered history of regulatory compliance" since 2021. It notes that in that year the home "voluntarily stopped admissions" and "also recognised that they were admitting residents whose needs they could not meet and agreed to review this". It says there was improvement in 2022, but an inspection in July 2023 found these were not sustained. A series of subsequent inspections led to improvements seen in an inspection in November last year. HIQA says The Residence Carton in Raheny, Dublin 6, which changed its name from TLC Carton in 2024, "has a history of poor compliance with the regulations, specifically regarding Governance and Management and Infection Prevention and Control". After several meetings with the provider, HIQA issued a letter last year warning it would cancel registration for the home unless issues were addressed "in a timely manner". It also issued a Notice of Proposed Decision which would have prevented the home admitting any patients, but this was not proceeded with, after the company issued a robust plan to address the issues and follow up inspection identified that improvements had been made. At the Belmont Private Nursing Home in Stillorgan, Co Dublin HIQA attached a restrictive condition in June 2022 "because the size and layout of all bedroom accommodation in the nursing home did not support the privacy and dignity of the residents living in these shared rooms". This was removed in October 2023 when the provider had complied with the requirements of the order. But an unannounced visit to the nursing home in January 2024 identified non compliance on infection prevention and control, premises and fire precautions. There was a cautionary meeting after which the management reduced the number of residents to enhance the lived experience of patients. At the Brookvale Manor Private Nursing Home in Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo, HIQA attached a restrictive condition in 2021 to reduce the number of residents from 57 to 37 to ensure that "residents are in receipt of appropriate care and support" and "the management team in place for the centre knows what a good service looks like and can ensure the delivery of that service". The restriction was removed in October 2023 and "The registered provider has sustained the improvements that were implements (sic) as evidenced by the findings of the most recent inspection in March 2025." At the Residence Citywest, in Fortunestown, Dublin 24, inspectors found during a visit in 2022 that the provider, Cubedale Limited, "was not complying with key regulations which underpin the care of residents: governance and management, oversight of the day to day operation of the nursing home, staffing and residents rights resulted in escalating regulatory engagement". There were two subsequent unannounced visits "before inspectors could be satisfied that Cubedale Limited was on a pathway to improved regulatory compliance and that the care of residents was improving." The most recent inspection in August 2024 "evidenced good levels of compliance with regulations, and residents and families expressed their satisfaction with the service in the nursing home. Staff and resident interactions were found to be positive and respectful," the report said. Maynooth Lodge Nursing Home in Co Kildare "has had an inconsistent history of regulatory compliance arising out of an unstable governance and management structure, insufficient staffing resources at times and ineffective service oversight." The report notes that "since 2021 there have been seven changes in the person in charge". Inspectors were sufficiently concerned to require weekly updates on staffing levels from October 2021 to March 2022. There was an improvement in March 2022, leading to an increase in the number of beds permitted at the home in May of that year. But then "subsequent risk inspections carried out on foot of unsolicited information in 2023 found a gradual decline in compliance and that the improvements previously observed were not sustained in the long-term." Inspections last year found "improving levels of compliance". The Residence Ashbourne, in Co Meath, "has had a history of non-compliance with regulations which resulted in escalating regulatory action and the addition of a restrictive condition to the registration of the designated centre." But HIQA reports the registered provider has since 2022 "continued on an improved trajectory of regulatory compliance across most regulations. Concerns in respect of premises and infection control were effectively addressed." 'Work in progress' HIQA says The Residence in Santry, Co Dublin, has "a chequered history of compliance over the past five years." Inspectors have found "sustained good levels of care and clinical oversight with good regulatory compliance," but also "significant and repeated concerns in respect of the governance and management and oversight of premises and fire safety persisted, which led to escalating regulatory action". This led to the number of beds at the centre being reduced from 128 in 2023 to 94 in 2024. That restrictive condition was removed last October when specific issues were addressed. HIQA says a programme of renovations "remains a work in progress" but inspectors could see improvements with the most recent announced inspection in June. The RTÉ Investigates programme, broadcast on 4 June, uncovered multiple examples of care failings and neglect of vulnerable older residents at the two nursing homes, run by Emeis Ireland. An interim HIQA report published on 17 June revealed hundreds of cases of alleged or confirmed abuse at Firstcare Beneavin Manor in Glasnevin in Co Dublin since June 2022 and at The Residence Portlaoise since December 2023. The report said a high number of notifications "does not necessarily indicate a non-compliant service, and often means a strong culture of recognising and submitting incidents which fall into the required notification categories".
