Hiqa made 28 referrals to gardaí over nursing homes in 2024, PAC told
gardaí
by the State's health and safety watchdog last year in relation to concerns around
nursing homes
, an
Oireachtas
committee has heard.
Last month, a programme by RTÉ Investigates highlighted instances of alleged abuse at two nursing homes: Beneavin Manor, Dublin, and The Residence, Portlaoise. Both homes are run by Emeis, the largest provider of private nursing home beds in the State.
The programme included footage of frail, older people, some of whom had dementia, allegedly being manhandled, 'forced' down into chairs and left for hours. It showed them being left in incontinence pads for so long their clothes were soaked and being ignored when they pleaded for help to go to the toilet.
Following the airing of the programme, Emeis paused all new admissions into its 25 nursing homes around the State.
READ MORE
Speaking at a meeting of the Oireachtas
Public Accounts Committee
on Thursday, members of the
Health Information and Quality Authority
(Hiqa), which regulates nursing homes, said it closes a nursing home only as a last resort.
Susan Cliffe, deputy chief inspector of social services at Hiqa, said other measures were used first, including referrals made to various bodies.
In 2024 there were 28 referrals to gardaí, two to the
Department of Social Protection
and two to fire services, she said.
Ms Cliffe said the organisation can close homes when it needs to. In 2024, 10 notices were issued to nursing homes and seven of them have closed, she said, adding that a further one is under appeal.
To date in 2025, one nursing home has been closed on foot of proceedings that were initiated last year, she added, stating this step was taken only as 'a last option'.
Angela Fitzgerald, chief executive of Hiqa, said she was 'shocked and appalled and felt let down' when she saw the alleged abuse in the RTÉ programme.
'I felt deeply saddened that staff hadn't got the skills, experience and insight to see what they should do. I feel a sense of accountability,' she said.
Asked if the homes at the centre of the programme would be closed, Finnbar Colfer, Hiqa's chief inspector designate, said a final decision in relation to 'any of the recent events' had not yet been made.
He said the organisation was 'looking at information available' and was engaged with RTÉ to obtain its footage while this process was ongoing.
Ms Fitzgerald acknowledged the recent issues had resulted in a 'dent in the armour' of the organisation in terms of public trust.
One of the issues Hiqa highlighted was the potential to increase out-of-hours inspection. Last year, just under a quarter of inspections were conducted out of hours.
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17 hours ago
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Husband of woman who killed herself and child calls for changes to support bereaved
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Their father, a farmer, died when Bernie was 18. 'She would always have fought with social justice for the kids that didn't have a lot or weren't deemed the brightest,' says O'Kennedy of her mother. 'She looked after the underdog.' Pippa arrived via a vacuum-assisted delivery on Friday, July 14th, 2023. 'I was hell-bent trying to attempt to breastfeed, even though we're told that Down syndrome babies probably don't breastfeed. But she did, she latched on straight away.' 'The kids didn't see any difference to Pippa. They just saw a little baby who's thriving and it was the most gorgeous experience for me and for her,' says Bernie O'Kennedy. Photograph: Eamon Ward Although Pippa had been assessed with a healthy Apgar score on delivery, that evening she was transferred to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) after becoming very sleepy. Express milk was fed to her via a nasal gastric tube and within two weeks she was home with her parents. After four months of combination feeding, although predominantly breastfeeding, 'we really kind of mastered it', says O'Kennedy, clearly glad she had persevered with breastfeeding against the odds. That September she enrolled in the Barnardos-run Roots of Empathy. This involves a parent bringing their baby into a primary school every three weeks over the school year, where the children can observe the baby's development and are invited to talk about the baby's feelings. The initiative has been shown to reduce levels of aggression among children. 'The kids didn't see any difference to her. They just saw a little baby who's thriving and it was the most gorgeous experience for me and for her,' says O'Kennedy. From six months, Pippa has been able to have speech and language therapy, thanks to the support of the Clare branch of Down Syndrome Ireland (DSI). O'Kennedy had contacted them about halfway through the pregnancy. The 'gorgeous, heart-warming' response was just the reassurance they needed. Since Pippa was born, the couple have been involved in fundraising for DSI Clare, run by fellow parents of children with Down syndrome. Crohan O'Kennedy ran the Dublin city marathon last year and will be out shaking buckets at the annual Tour de Munster ( Now in its 25th year, the four-day charity cycle starts on August 7th and takes a 600km route through the province. Funds will be raised and awareness spread for DSI's branches in Munster. Pippa, having just celebrated her second birthday, is now a 'powerhouse' of a toddler, says her mother. 'She's so determined, she's already walking now. She wants to be in everything.' Crohan and Bernie O'Kennedy with their daughter Pippa, who is due to become a big sister soon. Photograph: Eamon Ward When Pippa's diagnosis was confirmed, Bernie O'Kennedy recalls her husband saying he always wanted to go to the Special Olympics. Now they are wondering what event their daughter might participate in. 'She's strong, she's flexible,' says Bernie O'Kennedy, musing on the possibility of gymnastics being Pippa's thing. [ 'I'm going to be with the HR gang, working with the loveliest boss ever' Opens in new window ] What's more, the little girl is due to become a big sister in just under three months' time. To the O'Kennedys' great surprise, this baby was conceived naturally and they now know it's a boy. 'I had a miscarriage before Christmas with an embryo, so then this was a complete shock again. I think I'm still in shock. A good shock.' A Harmony test this time indicated low probability of a chromosomal abnormality. To other parents who may receive a diagnosis similar to Pippa's, Bernie O'Kennedy says: 'It may not be what you want, but actually it's not the worst diagnosis you could ever get. If anything, it teaches you to be a better person, to slow down, to be more kind. You have to have a good talk with yourself. A child is going to teach you everything, particularly a child with additional needs.' Frustration over speech and language support Parents of children with Down syndrome are frustrated by a lack of access to speech and language therapy through the HSE. When they do get assistance, it is 'completely contraindicated' to their children's needs, according to DSI. Children with Down syndrome need weekly, sustained, intensive therapy, which is not provided for under the current model in the Children's Disability Network Team (CDNT), according to DSI's national speech and language therapy co-ordinator, Olive Buckeridge. The CDNT generally provides speech and language therapy (SLT) in occasional, six-week blocks. 'You're not guaranteed X number of blocks per year; you are lucky if you get a block per annum,' she says. 'The key to all learning with people with Down syndrome is repetition, because they have very poor working memories. They need to be reminded, so we need weekly intervention.' Buckeridge devised and trialled a new programme, called Keep Communicating, specifically designed for children with Down syndrome aged six months to 12 years. 'I found that it was very effective, that anybody could utilise this programme.' [ From the archive: Breda O'Brien: State failing children with Down syndrome Opens in new window ] The next step was to train SLT assistants to support the DSI's own small team of therapists, so that more children could be helped on a consistent basis. At the outset, the organisation could only provide SLT in five counties and this is now reaching 16 counties. It is estimated that there are about 2,000 children aged 0-12 living in the Republic with Down syndrome, but not all would be members of DSI. Under the DSI initiative, the therapists assess each child and design a tailored communication plan, which the assistants then deliver every week, Buckeridge explains. This can be done at home, in early years settings or in primary schools. Delivering it in school takes the pressure off parents having to take children out for appointments. Rethink Ireland (previously known as the Social Innovation Fund Ireland) provided funding for a pilot of the scheme over the past year in seven counties, in the northwest and the southwest. 'The outcomes have been really positive,' says Buckeridge. 'There has been an increase in speech clarity, the use of sign language, and the children are more confident in the use of communication.' After the initial training of two SLT assistants, there are now seven and various branches fundraise to support the programme. 'In the last six months, SLTs and SLT assistants have delivered over 8,000 interventions, which is fantastic. There's no way any CDNT could compete with us nationally.' [ 'It's a stunning setting for any cafe, but this one has extra-special credentials' Opens in new window ] The programme helps alleviate the pressure on SLTs, so that they can use time saved on more complex cases. But sustaining and expanding the programme would depend on Government funding, for which the DSI is now publicly appealing, having made representations to relevant ministers. The CDNTs could outsource to the DSI, she adds. 'They could give us the funding and we would look after the children [with Down syndrome] on their caseload.' Ultimately, the DSI would also like to extend the programme across the lifespan. 'Adults need as much therapy as children. They're the forgotten cohort.'
