ALONE has come out in support of HIQA’s request for increased investigative powers into individual nursing home complaints.
Sean Moynihan, CEO of ALONE, the charity which supports older people in need, commented, “Already there have been a number of serious cases reported since Leas Cross, with many additional homes closed down. The Government needs to give HIQA the power to investigate individual complaints, to protect older people in nursing home care. Older people in nursing homes are in a very vulnerable position and they need to be supported.”
Mr Moynihan said as individual complaints are investigated internally, older people and families may feel they can’t speak out, for fear of losing their place in the home.
“Currently over 2,000 people are waiting for nursing home care in the country, this makes nursing homes very powerful. People need to have an impartial external body to submit complaints to. This is an industry that needs to be properly regulated to ensure it is providing quality care.
“The current system means that if someone makes a complaint, HIQA don’t have entitlement to investigate it further and the individual is sent back to the nursing home they are complaining about, it leaves vulnerable older people in a very powerless situation”, said Mr Moynihan.
ALONE believe that nursing homes are not always the answer, and strive to keep older people living within the community by providing suitable accommodation, home supports and social outlets.
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.