Call for independent inspectorate

THE independent nursing homes inspectorate must be established as a matter of urgency, elderly advocates stressed yesterday.

Following the long-awaited publication of the damning Leas Cross report, Age Action called on Health Minister Mary Harney to protect older people.

Eamon Timmins, Head of Advocacy with Age Action, insisted lessons must be learned from the systemic failures at the 111-bed home.

“We want to see evidence that these lessons have been learnt so that the woefully inadequate care which continued at Leas Cross despite repeated warnings, can never occur again in Ireland.”

The Health Service Executive has said nursing home inspectors will go through rigorous training in January. However, HSE director of care Aidan Browne yesterday admitted it would be over a year before systems were in place to enact the independent inspectorate.

The Irish Nursing Homes Organisation last night stressed it had been trying “unsuccessfully” with Health Minister Mary Harney’s department to address standards in nursing homes. “We regret that we have not been involved directly with the Department of Health in the development of such standards,” read a statement.

Elsewhere, chairman Dr Sean O’Keeffe with the Irish Society of Physicians in Geriatric Medicine stressed there was a need to move away from the reliance of care within the private sector.