Scandal of Leas Cross hangs over nursing home

THE shocking scandal of Leas Cross appears to have been repeated after a litany of “horrifying” abuses were identified at a high-profile Dublin nursing home.

An affidavit lodged by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) against Rostrevor House Nursing Home in Rathgar has again identified serious concerns over how Ireland treats its senior citizens.

The legal document, which led to an interim court order last Friday canceling the home’s registration, has detailed a series of disturbing inadequacies at the facility.

The allegations, identified during 10 separate HIQA inspections over the past 14 months, relate to the care of 23 vulnerable elderly residents.

The majority of these people are wards of court, entirely reliant on the home for protection and in many cases are unable to speak.

They were brought to the attention of gardaí on May 27, and include:

nA vulnerable elderly woman who was regularly taken to the toilet by a male staff member, identified as “care assistant P”, without supervision, at the worker’s insistence. Other staff heard screams from inside the bathroom and said this was “a regular occurrence”.

* An elderly man who was injured by the same staff member when his head was banged against a doorway.

* This resident, who passed away from an unrelated condition on February 13, was repeatedly kicked while on the ground by this worker. “Care assistant P” is reported to have told staff to “cover up” the offence by claiming the man was injured during an accidental fall.

* There were also claims of a “serious risk to the life or health of residents due to negligence” at the facility as measures to ensure standards were not in place.

* There were 24 separate significant injuries claimed to be from “slips and falls” involving eight sample residents over the past 18 months.

* Clinical records were poor, inadequate and incomplete when requested by HIQA investigators.

When inspection teams — who last year gave the facility a clean bill of health — sought further information, they said other staff were “clearly frightened” they would lose their jobs if they raised concerns.

Three workers only spoke to investigators while off-site as they believed their work visas were tied directly to the nursing home. They said staff believed nothing would be done against “care assistant P”.

In 2005, three nurses — including the current officially registered owner of the home, Therese Lipsett — were struck off the medical register over a series of concerns for residents’ safety.

Minister for Older People, Kathleen Lynch, said the findings were “horrifying”.

Health Minister James Reilly said: “The safety of clients of nursing homes has to be paramount. Anything that compromises that can’t be tolerated.”