What has changed since Leas Cross?
However, with over 2,000 cases of elder abuse occurring last year, over 400 in the first three months of this year and the Rostrevor House Nursing Home scandal causing a new national outcry, has anything changed?
The short answer is yes. But any detailed response must add that there has been a less than transparent political approach to addressing the issue.
A year after the July 2005 Leas Cross revelations, then health minister Mary Harney said legislation would be introduced to set up a strict inspection regime for nursing homes.
This plan was the first step towards the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) investigations that eventually dealt with the issues at Rostrevor.
While it has its detractors, the system has meant all public and private nursing homes can be inspected by the independent watchdog, instead of Health Service Executive officials, without warning.
The legislation was eventually introduced as part of the 2007 Health Act and gave HIQA the authority to fine and, if necessary, shut down a home if it had concerns about residents’ welfare.
All homes — both public and private — have been legally obliged to allow inspections at the request of HIQA since mid-2009.
The legislation has led to three nursing homes losing their registration rights since it was introduced, including Rostrevor.
But to suggest its introduction highlights a political commitment to make any elder abuse fully transparent is not entirely accurate.
Despite the former government repeatedly stating it would guarantee that the scandal of nursing home abuse was never repeated, and that victims would receive the attention they deserve, its final treatment of Leas Cross explains why a claim of political inaction is still justified.
On July 16, 2009, the last report into the shamed north Dublin nursing home was published after an unexplained month-long delay.
If you don’t remember it, there’s probably a good reason why. By an amazing coincidence, the date — July 16, 2009 — was the same day as the publication of the An Bord Snip Nua report.
The latter received blanket media coverage. The former received next to nothing.
A spokesperson for Ms Harney insisted at the time she “genuinely believed” the publication dates were “unrelated”.
There are priorities, and then there are priorities. How the current Government approaches the Rostrevor scandal will decide in which category elderly abuse really belongs.
