HSE confuses elderly people about entitlements, claims Ombudsman

Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly has hit out at the HSE and the Department of Health today for their treatment of elderly people in long-term care.

Giving details of a report on nursing homes, which has yet to be published, she said the health service has a deliberate policy to confuse elderly people about their rights and entitlements.

The report states that in a large number of cases, old people moved into private nursing homes, when neither they, nor their families could really afford to pay for it.