Watchdog says nursing home concerns ‘serious’

MORE THAN half of concerns raised about older people in nursing homes last year were considered serious by the state’s watchdog on health and social services, it has emerged.

The Health Information and Quality Authority’s annual report for 2009 has given a risk rating for the 252 concerns it received during the year about elderly people in residential care.

The health and safety risk to older people was considered moderate in relation to 31% of concerns raised and low for 16%.

One percent were considered no risk.

While HIQA’s social services inspectorate does not have the power to investigate individual complaints about nursing homes, it does follow up safety and welfare concerns expressed by residents, relatives, staff and members of the public.

The authority uses the term ‘concern’ to refer to all information received either about the safety or welfare of an older person.

People can contact HIQA if they are unhappy with the way a nursing home received or dealt with a complaint. They can also contact the authority if they feel unable to raise a matter of concern with the home’s manager or felt the matter related to the actions or inaction of the manager.

Of the 252 issues of concern received by HIQA last year, seven were received between January and July and 245 between July and December.