Consultant shocked at abuse and neglect of patients

Evelyn Ring

Dr Cillian Twomey, who is president of the Irish Gerontology Society, said the Prime Time exposé of abuse at Leas Cross nursing home in Swords, Co Dublin, re-emphasised the urgency of having a properly structured, resourced and staffed inspectorate.

Dr Twomey, who was speaking during the society’s conference on long-term care for the elderly at the Royal Irish Academy in Dublin yesterday, said it was clear the number of inspections was inadequately resourced because their frequency was less than what was envisaged in the Nursing Home Act.

While there were some very well run nursing homes, one bad one was one too many, said Dr Twomey, who is based at Cork University Hospital. Professor Des O’Neill, a consultant geriatrician at Tallaght Hospital in Dublin and the society’s honorary secretary, said some good would come out of this week’s sad events.

“The silver lining out of this week’s events, and it is showing in today’s conference, is that we now know what to do. So let’s go and do it,” he said. While the checks and balances in place may have been adequate 20 years ago, they clearly needed to be drastically reviewed he said.

Because of the increasing private sector involvement in nursing home care, far higher specifications on the adequacy of staff and on the inspection process were now needed. He said the Prime Time investigation also raised concerns about staff training. “Consent is hugely important and there are ways of working with people when you have got the right training and know what the objection is,” he said.

Prof O’Neill also said he was prepared to accept Taoiseach Bertie Ahern’s promise that legislation providing for the establishment of an independent inspectorate would be brought forward in the autumn.

“If it is the autumn and it is appropriate, I think I will be happy. I think we need to reflect and to get it right,” he said.