Hiqa to be quizzed by PAC about its oversight of nursing homes
Hiqa is set to face questioning from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on failures of oversight in nursing homes.
The HSE and senior health officials have also been called before the committee as a matter of urgency in an effort to uncover how the failures observed in a recent RTÉ exposé were allowed to persist and whether warning signs were ignored, overlooked or inadequately responded to.
Hundreds of millions of euro of the public's money is provided to the nursing home sector through multiple channels and taxpayers have the right to know that this money is used to provide the highest standards of care, chairman John Brady said.
"The PAC is committed to ensuring that this is not just another brief moment of outrage followed by inaction," Mr Brady said as the committee took the unanimous decision to call the bodies to appear.
Labour's Martin Wall told the Dáil that Hiqa has failed in its duty and is not fit for purpose.
Families who have contacted him over the last week have been failed by Hiqa reports which "painted a picture that was far from the reality" and led to families "unwittingly putting their relatives in harm's way".
Minister of state for older people Kieran O'Donnell said there has been continued "intensive engagement" regarding the two Emeis Ireland-run nursing homes featured in the RTÉ programme. Mr O'Donnell said:
It was identified, the issues in Portlaoise, in the two Hiqa reports. The Beneavin report did not highlight that fact. These are questions I have put to Hiqa.
He said an interim report on Emeis Ireland overall is expected by the end of the week with a final report due next week.
The over-reliance on private providers came under fire from backbench and Opposition TDs alike with the Government accused of a "specific, determined and protracted policy of privatisation of nursing home care" by Matt Carthy.
Mr Carthy said older people are being treated like a commodity in a "race to the bottom" in a largely privatised nursing home sector.
His party colleague Louise O'Reilly said a small number of private providers are cutting corners in the name of chasing a profit with the Government facilitating them in this pursuit. Ms O'Reilly said:
You are making millionaires on the back of human misery and indignity and poor treatment of our older people and vulnerable people.
Fianna Fáil TD and GP Martin Daly said there needs to be a move away from large, corporate congregated settings in favour of smaller, community-based homes.
"I am told it takes a congregation of 70 in a nursing home to make it profitable for private operators," Mr Daly said, noting the large number of small nursing homes that have closed in recent years.
Mr O'Donnell acknowledged that the sector has moved from predominantly State-led services to almost 80% being provided by the private sector but said there is continued investment into the community nursing unit programme including €4m to staff and the opening of 615 public community beds this year.
The Dáil also heard that an adult safeguarding policy is to be brought to Government before the summer recess next month.
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