THE INDEPENDENT inspectorate of nursing homes will have to reflect on how it does its job so as to ensure it doesn’t rely on whistleblowers to draw attention to bad behaviour or poor practice, Minister for Health Dr James Reilly said yesterday.
Dr Reilly was commenting on the ongoing controversy over how Rostrevor nursing home in Rathgar, Dublin, got two positive reports when inspected by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) in 2010 only for it later to emerge that some staff were concerned about allegations that a male care assistant was abusing residents verbally and physically since mid 2008.
The staff eventually told Hiqa of the allegations during a further inspection last month and the care assistant was suspended.
A Garda investigation has commenced and Hiqa went to court and secured an interim order effectively closing the private nursing home. The Health Service Executive is now in charge of the facility and is trying to find alternative placements for the 23 residents.
The HSE has confirmed it paid a total of €689,510 to the nursing home in respect of nursing home subvention, contract and Fair Deal beds last year. It also said yesterday it has now moved “a small number” of patients out of the facility to alternative accommodation and hopes to move more this week.
The case is expected to come back before Dublin District Court next week when Hiqa will be seeking a final order in relation to the closure of the nursing home. Its owners say the allegations of elder abuse at the facility are completely without foundation.
Asked yesterday how Rostrevor got nearly €700,000 from the State last year, Dr Reilly said Hiqa had found it fit for purpose. He said beds had been contracted and therefore it wasn’t unreasonable they would be paid for.
“Hiqa will have to look now further to their assessments to ensure that it doesn’t always rely on a whistleblower to bring forth bad behaviour, poor practice and particularly any abuse,” he said.
Previous allegations of abuse at the home in mid 2005 – this time involving a male nurse – also only came to light following the actions of a whistleblower. A staff member told the authorities about the allegations three years later.