23-06-2025
26 nursing homes fail to meet regulations for safe care in unannounced HIQA inspections
THE HEALTH INFORMATION and Quality Authority (HIQA) has found that 25 nursing homes around the country were non-compliant to some degree with the rules for the care of older people in a round of 47 unannounced inspections at locations across the country.
Six nursing homes were found to be non-compliant on four sets of standards or more, in areas including residents' rights, protection, managing challenging behaviour, individual assessments and care plans, staff training, the management of residents' finances and more.
All 25 of the homes found to be non-compliant with standards will now have to demonstrate improvements to the authority to come into line with regulations.
In the Kenmare Community Nursing Unit in Co. Kerry, which accommodates up to 35 people, who are mainly elderly, through long-term, respite, and end-of-life services, inspectors found that the system for overseeing incidents in the home was not robust.
An inspector found that notification of older people's pressure ulcers were not being reported to the management team nor submitted to the Chief Inspector.
Written responses to residents' complaints were not provided and records were not kept to show that complaints had been appropriately responded to.
In the Knockeen Nursing Home in Co. Wexford, which cares for a maximum of 49 older people, an inspector found that the residents appeared well cared for.
HIQA found, however, that the home remained non-compliant in areas of governance and management that it was already found to be failing in in an inspection conducted in 2024.
Arrangements made previously to ensure that residents' dietary needs were being met were found to be 'ineffective'.
Residents who required modified textured meals were not offered a choice of main courses each day.
The inspector also found that there was a delay in obtaining prescribed pain medication for one patient who was dying, and that there was an incident wherein a correctly fitting colostomy bag was not available for a resident.
'The inspector also reviewed a complaint in respect of insufficient stocks of medicinal products being available to meet a residents' needs,' the report on the home said.
An issue was also found with the contracts of care being offered to residents.
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In three contracts reviewed by inspectors a section that listed services not offered to residents under the Fair Deal Scheme included physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy.
The inspector found that residents being charged for these services did not reflect their entitlement to them under the General Medical Services Scheme, and that there was a lack of transparency on their entitlements.
For one contract, part of the person's contract referred to additional services they might need to avail of, however, no additional services or associated fees were recorded for this person, yet they were still being charged for them.
One resident who suffered a fall, who had been identified as weak due to illness and at risk of falling, had not had their falls care plan updated in the 6.5 months previous to the incident.
The home was also found to not be conducting neurological observation assessments for all residents who suffered falls.
The inspector was not assured that a resident in the Knockeen home who was identified as being at risk of malnutrition had been referred to a dietician.
The Beechfield Manor Nursing Home in Shankill, Co. Dublin, provides accommodation to 69 residents. It was found to be non-compliant with multiple regulations.
Inspectors found that there were not enough staff available to take residents to the bathrooms when they needed to go on every occasion, and that people were sometimes asked to wait to go to the bathroom.
One staff member who was scheduled to carry out activities with the residents read a newspaper while the residents sat in silence, and only turned on the TV for them after one older person asked them to.
Kilbarry Care Centre in Waterford accommodates a maximum of 90 residents. It's a mixed gender residence for people 18 and over, including older people with dementia and those in palliative care.
The inspector found that a safeguarding issue was not reported to the inspector's office by the home, they also found 'visibly unclean' equipment in the home, and that the dining room floor of the home was unclean with various stains.
They also found that the provider had admitted residents with complex care needs, including those in need of pyschological care, but many staff had not completed training on managing challenging behaviour.
All of the homes with identified non-compliances will have to submit an action plan to HIQA, and if the issues raised are not addressed, enforcement actions are open to the authority.
In all of these homes positive aspects of the care received by patients were also identified.
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