Elderly residents left restrained and unsupervised in chairs

NURSING home staff restrained elderly residents in their chairs because they considered them vulnerable to falls – yet staff still left them unsupervised.

This situation was highlighted in a recent report by inspectors from the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA).

They also noted there was no documentary evidence in care records to show that restraint was in the best interests of residents at the Queen of Peace nursing home, near Knock Shrine, in Co Mayo.