Latest news with #RTÉInvestigates
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Health
- Irish Examiner
We will repeat Áras Attracta and Emeis scandals until we ensure care is people-centred
The recent RTÉ Investigates programme Inside Ireland's Nursing Homes lifted the lid on practices that have rightly been termed 'neglect' and 'abuse' by experts and family members. Images of older people being left for long periods in pain and discomfort, denied toilet facilities, and pleading for assistance which never came have shocked many people who did not know what was happening behind closed doors. They do, however, closely mirror similar images from an earlier programme, Inside Bungalow 3 — Áras Attracta, also produced by RTÉ Investigates in 2014. In that exposé, adults with intellectual disabilities were roughly handled, slapped and left unattended for long periods. Similarities between the two exposés There are some differences between these two programmes. One was based in a private setting and the other was public. There were different services models, one a nursing home and the other a disability centre. And there were different groups of people, one, older adults, and the other adults with intellectual disabilities. Despite this, there are significant similarities, and one must ask 'why?'. We know that care settings are by their nature complex environments where communication may be impacted by cognitive or intellectual impairment. Moreover, the simultaneous presentation of physical, health, behavioural, emotional, and welfare needs can provide significant challenges to care and support. The dynamic and individual nature of such issues demands a skilled and person-centred response from the service and those providing direct care: this was patently absent in both instances — at organisational and service delivery levels. Caregiving is about human relationships Perhaps the most striking underlying failures for me were in respect of 'knowing' the other person. Communication in healthcare is usually defined as a process that involves dialogue, engagement, active listening, feedback, clarity, and empathy. It encompasses both verbal and non-verbal means of expression. In nursing practice, this has been described as a 'helping relationship … without which no support can be offered to patients at any life stage.' Caregiving is grounded in caregivers recognising themselves as being in a relationship with another human being. Within a caring context, one would presume that this should be a positive and enriching relationship. One might also presume that this would be premised on knowing the other person, something that comes from actually spending time with the other person. There are many contrasts between Áras Attracta and the Emeis facilities exposed in 'RTÉ Investigates: Inside Ireland's Nursing Homes' earlier this year. But both had much in common in terms of a lack of human interaction. Picture: RTÉ This may seem quite obvious, but it is interesting to note in both programmes that the interactions between staff and those in receipt of their service were few and far between, and when they occurred, they were often functional, impersonal, and lacking in any positive communication. The lack of opportunities to know the person whom one is supporting, may contribute to a concurrent failure to see them as human beings but as objects to be moved and managed. Instances of this were seen both in the Áras Attracta and Emeis investigations. Whereas every health and social care professional is individually accountable to their regulatory body for the care provided, they may also be legally accountable for action/inaction that negatively impact other people. Fintan Sheerin, the professor of nursing and founding head of the new School of Nursing at Maynooth University, acted as a consultant on the RTÉ Investigates exposés. Organisations must also be held accountable for ensuring that they provide adequate resources to meet the support needs and wishes of those in their care. They must also ensure that there is a proper skill mix among staff, particularly in respect of complex interactions, to allow for the development of person-centeredness that is grounded in relationships and knowing of the other person. If organisations fail to take heed of these responsibilities, it is likely that we will see further programmes such as Inside Ireland's Nursing Homes and Inside Bungalow 3. • Fintan Sheerin was consultant to RTÉ Investigates for Inside Bungalow 3, Creches — Behind Closed Doors, and Inside Ireland's Nursing Homes. He is the professor of nursing and founding head of the new School of Nursing at Maynooth University which opens this autumn.
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
The Journal
6 days ago
- Health
- The Journal
'Truly shocking and should never have happened': Hiqa chief on RTÉ nursing home doc
HIQA CHIEF EXECUTIVE Angela Fitzgerald agreed today that the RTÉ Investigates programme highlighting poor treatment and practice within two nursing homes run by Emeis Ireland was the 'worst' she had seen in her role as head of the health watchdog. 'I was shocked and appalled, and felt let down by the provider,' Fitzgerald said today, acknowledging public confidence in the Health Information and Quality Authority had been 'damaged' by the revelations. Speaking to the Dáil's Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Fitzgerald apologised to those impacted by the abuses, and said Hiqa had 'a lot more to do as regulator'. During the hearing, Fine Gael TD James Geoghegan had asked Fitzgerald if she had ever seen anything worse during her three years at head of the organisation. She agreed she had not, adding: 'I hadn't seen the type of behaviours, my colleagues as inspectors had never witnessed the behaviours there.' What was broadcast, she said, 'was truly shocking and should never have happened'. The programme, which aired in June, involved two RTÉ researchers working undercover in two different homes; one in The Residence Portlaoise, and one in Beneavin Manor in Glasnevin. Emeis Ireland, formerly known as Orpea, operates 27 nursing homes across the country having entering the Irish market in 2022. Advertisement Almost 200 notifications of 'alleged, suspected or confirmed' abuse of residents at Beneavin were received by Hiqa between 2022 and June this year, according to an interim report released two weeks after the RTÉ programme aired. The Residence had 40 such notifications. Asked at the committee how the Glasnevin home was allowed to remain open, Susan Cliffe, Deputy Chief Inspector with Hiqa, told TDs: 'We wouldn't close a nursing home unless there was absolutely no other option.' Cliffe said Beneavin Manor has been inspected three times since the RTÉ programme aired, and nothing seen had warranted closure. She said the watchdog is taking regulatory action against both nursing homes featured in the RTÉ programme, and both now have limits on admissions. Fine Gael TD James Geoghegan, said the 'natural consequence' of the RTÉ Investigates programmes is to question whether Hiqa is 'fit for purpose' as an inspection body. 'I find it hard to believe that after 20 years of Hiqa being active that something like this could happen', he added. 22 of the nursing homes operated by Emeis have been inspected since the RTÉ Investigates programme aired, with one inspected a second time, the committee was told today. Seven nursing homes in Ireland were closed in 2024 due to findings of non-compliance. In the previous year, one was closed. Hiqa said that 0ver 80% of nursing home visits are unannounced. However, several TDs noted that the treatment uncovered by the RTÉ Investigates programme was unlikely to be identified without an undercover inspection. The Hiqa officials at the committee said they were unclear if they are permitted to carry out undercover inspections and would have to look into the legality. 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
Irish Examiner
7 days ago
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Nursing Homes: Hiqa tells PAC it may step up its out-of-hours inspections
The country's nursing home watchdog is to consider upping the number of out-of-hours inspections it carries out across the sector, the Dáil's public accounts committee has heard. Finbarr Colfer, chief inspector designate at the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa), said 24% of nursing home inspections were carried out outside normal working hours. 'It is one of the questions we are examining ourselves in relation to perhaps a more scheduled approach to 24/7 types of inspections,' he said. 'We're very conscious that the health services are operating on a 24/7 basis.' Mr Colfer made the comments amid questioning from Social Democrats TD Aidan Farrelly at PAC session on Thursday. Hiqa's appearance at the committee follows shocking revelations in an RTÉ Investigates documentary last month. The programme was focused on two nursing homes run by Emeis Ireland — The Residence in Portlaoise and Beneavin Manor in north Dublin. It details a litany of disturbing practices, including: A man being refused a toilet break for 25 minutes due to chronic understaffing; A resident repeatedly left in an unchanged incontinence pad despite being able to use the toilet and having requests to do so denied; 'Fake' activity logs showing residents engaged in pursuits that never occurred. Hiqa chief executive Angela Fitzgerald apologised to those affected by the practices at the nursing homes, adding the body is taking 'regulatory action' with the company operates the two sites. 'I was shocked and appalled and felt let down by the provider in terms of what I witnessed,' she said. Asked by Fine Gael TD James Geoghegan if she had ever seen anything worse than practices shown in the documentary, Ms Fitzgerald said she had not. However, Ms Fitzgerald said that, during inspections at the two nursing homes, Hiqa inspectors did not see any practices as shown on the RTÉ documentary. 'Failure of management and supervision' In total, it was confirmed 22 of the 25 Emeis Ireland-run nursing homes were inspected since the RTÉ documentary aired in June. Deputy chief inspector Susan Cliffe said the practices stemmed from 'a failure of management and supervision' at the Beneavin Manor nursing home. 'I think it was a failure to allow for the stress that was on the centre, the failure to recognise it,' Ms Cliffe said. 'There's three floors in that centre and there's three very different cultures on three different floors. The residents with the greatest level of need and the higher dependency were all accommodated on the one floor.' Asked by Mr Geoghegan if there had been any resignations, Ms Cliffe said a number of staff were no longer employed at Beneavin Manor. However, she added she was unaware of any resignations of more senior staff and managers at the nursing home. During the committee appearance, Ms Fitzgerald told TDs Hiqa is currently engaging with the Department of Health around strengthening existing regulations surrounding nursing homes. The committee also heard there has been one nursing home closure so far this year, with seven homes being closed in 2024. This is the highest figure in a number of years, with the closest being three closures in 2021 and 2023.
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.
