373 alerts of alleged abuse in elder care

There were 373 alerts over alleged or confirmed abuse of residents in long term care homes for the elderly to the inspections watchdog, last year, a report reveals.

The first annual overview report by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) into designated centres for older people also revealed that it received 171 alerts over the unexplained absence of a resident from a centre, and 293 alerts regarding the outbreak of an infectious disease.

Hiqa was also notified about alleged misconduct by staff on 95 occasions last year, involving 59 different centres.