Lack of progress moving younger people from nursing homes slammed as 'completely unacceptable'
THE OMBUDSMAN GER Deering has criticised the lack of progress made by the HSE to move younger people out of nursing homes, and called for additional government funding to tackle the issue.
According to the Ombudsman Annual Report for 2024 – which examined complaints and reports from the Ombudman last year – the HSE has insufficient funding to continue to assist hundreds of young people to move out of nursing homes and into more appropriate accommodation.
The Ombudsman in Ireland is a public official who investigates complaints from individuals who believe they have been treated unfairly by certain public service providers.
As previously reported by
The Journal
,
more than 1,200 people under the age of 65 in Ireland are living in nursing homes designed for much older people, leaving them frustrated and calling for alternatives
.
A 2021 Ombudsman investigation found that these people face a number of issues, including isolation from family and friends, a lack of any meaningful social engagement and residing with elderly patients – many of whom suffered from dementia.
Since 2021, 102 people have been supported to move to homes of their choosing in the community where this is their wish, as part of a HSE-led 'Under 65 programme'.
The Enhanced Quality of Life Supports (EQLS) scheme established in 2021 also improved the lives of those who could not transition out of nursing homes.
While the Ombudsman would like to see an increase, the HSE has since said that there is not enough funding to continue to aid many young people in moving out of nursing homes.
Deering said in an Ombudsman report that he had received an update from the HSE in November 2024, which made clear that the Under 65 programme 'will falter' this year without additional funding.
'This means that many of those identified for moves to more suitable accommodation will not now be able to do so. This is a major setback and disappointment for the people concerned and their families,' Deering said.
'It is completely unacceptable that this excellent programme, which brought hope and independence to people with disabilities cannot be delivered because of a lack of funding,' the Ombudsman said.
He added that progress on transitioning people out of the nursing home system ha, to date, been 'unquestionably slow'.
In a report, the Ombudsman called on the government to provide 'sustainable and annual funding' to support younger people in nursing homes through the EQLS scheme, and, where appropriate, funding to move to more suitable accommodation.
Recalled payment to deceased carer's account
Later in the report, the Ombudsman detailed a number of cases which were flagged with his office and upheld last year.
One such case saw the Department of Social Protection recall a payment of over €2,700 it incorrectly believed it had paid to the bank account of a carer who had passed away.
Anne* contacted the Ombudsman after the Department recalled a payment it believed had been deposited into her late son Martin's account. Martin had been Anne's carer before his death.
Anne and her family repeatedly contacted the Department over a 12-month period to explain the situation and request a refund, but the Department refused to act.
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It later emerged that although Anne had notified the Department of Martin's death, payments for Carer's Allowance and the Carer's Support Grant had continued to be issued to his account.
Since the account had been closed, the bank automatically returned the funds to the Department.
However, the Department failed to update its records to reflect the returned payments and mistakenly believed Martin had received the funds.
As a result, it recalled the payment, which led to the money being withdrawn from Martin's closed account in error.
The Department has since apologised to Anne and refunded the incorrectly retrieved payment.
It also agreed to pay €1,850 to Anne's family in the form of a Carer's Support Grant, acknowledging that Martin would have qualified for it prior to his death.
Dentures and shoes stolen from hospital patient
In another case, Andrew* contacted the Ombudsman after his mother's personal belongings, including her dentures and shoes, went missing during her stay at St Vincent's University Hospital in Dublin.
Hospital staff initially claimed there was no record of the items being with the patient at the time of admission.
However, the Ombudsman uncovered documentation indicating otherwise.
An early report from a speech and language therapist noted that Andrew's mother had no difficulty eating. A later report, however, recorded that she was struggling to eat and missing some teeth.
Additionally, a therapist's note mentioned she had trouble 'putting on her shoes,' further suggesting the items were with her during her hospital stay.
The hospital has since apologised to Andrew and his mother and reimbursed them for the missing items.
Ombudsman complaints
According to the Ombudsman's annual report, there was a continued increase in complaints about public bodies received by the Ombudsman.
The Ombudsman's team dealt with 4,673 complaints last year – an increase of nearly 5% on the 2023 figure.
In 2024, 1,497 complaints were made to the Ombudsman about local authorities, with 218 received about Dublin City Council and 150 about Cork City Council.
1,397 complaints were received about Government Departments and Offices with the
Department of Social Protection being the subject of 604 complaints.
There were also 887 complaints about public bodies in the health sector, with 705 involving the HSE and 149 involving Tusla.
*
The names were changed in the Ombudsman's report to protect privacy
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