28 complaints against nursing homes
Documents obtained by the Irish Examiner show that since early 2005, a series of facilities have come under the spotlight after complaints made by staff members, residents and their families were sent to a new, fast-track complaints system.
The cases – which ranged from physical assaults to allegations of bullying – were opened under the Trust in Care legislation, which allows for concerns to be quickly examined in a period of weeks.
In the four-year period since the legislation was introduced, a total of 28 separate cases were opened following complaints by staff concerned about the treatment of patients and by family members of residents. And while the majority of the concerns were deemed unwarranted, as a result of the new system three nursing home staff have seen their contracts cancelled due to their alleged abuse of residents.
Among the most serious cases of abuse – which included four in the HSE Dublin north east region, four in the south, 14 in the west, and six in Dublin mid-Leinster – were claims of physical injuries and consistent verbal assault.
In one case, which occurred at the 35-bed Dean Maxwell Community Unit in Roscrea, Co Tipperary, in early 2007, a senior nurse was removed after subjecting an elderly resident to a sustained period of physical and mental abuse.
The nurse insisted he was innocent of the charges. However, the Trust in Care investigation panel found that the resident, who has since died, was regularly found to have unexplainable injuries on his body.
In another case at the St Joseph’s Care Centre, Co Longford, in 2007, a male nurse was found to be innocent of allegations he mishandled and forcibly removed a patient’s clothing during treatment “against her will”.
The case was closely examined after the acting director of nursing and acting domestic supervisor felt there was “adequate concern” to warrant a full investigation.
Meanwhile, in two other cases in Co Kildare and Co Donegal, nursing staff saw their contracts terminated over claims they had acted in an unnecessarily rough manner while treating a resident.
The investigations emerged a day after the latest public report by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) on Monday found that a nurse who was the subject of three abuse allegations was not removed from her post at St Joseph’s Community Nursing Unit in Trim, Co Meath – leading to two further complaints from elderly residents.
