Cowen: Urgent need to review care laws

Taoiseach Brian Cowen tonight said there is an urgent need to look at new laws on home care services amid reports of shocking treatment of elderly patients by staff.

A damning four-month investigation uncovered appalling abuse of the sick and infirm by a number of private companies, including force feeding, theft and an absence of vetting of workers.

Healthcare organisations and rights campaigners have demanded statutory regulation and standards to protect thousands of vulnerable older people.

Mr Cowen accepted the Government would have to reform the system and apologised to the families whose loved ones have been mistreated.

“On the issue of statutory regulation, clearly that is a matter now that has to be looked at as quickly as possible, as a matter of urgency,” Mr Cowen said.

“But in the first instance I would have thought putting in place the guidelines as a first step, as precursor, to whatever statutory policies have to be invoked thereafter is something that needs to be done.”

The shocking extent of abuse was uncovered by RTE’s Prime Time after an undercover investigation lasting four months.

It exposed a lack of proper training, an older person given medicine by an unqualified carer, one person being force fed and another left to lie in a soiled bed.

Mr Cowen said the issues highlighted were unacceptable and had to be investigated.

“I would of course say that I regret very much and I would apologise to any family, and I understand there were four cases highlighted, to each of those families I am sorry to see any digression from the standard of care that we are all entitled to expect,” he said.

And he said a full review will be carried out of the care provided to 65,000 elderly people.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said the investigation exposed rottenness at the core of Irish society – a claim strongly dismissed by Mr Cowen.

“It was a sickening episode of inhumanity to older people, to elderly persons and something that could happen to anybody or everybody’s mother in a situation like this,” Mr Kenny said.

“This is not want you want to see, it is not what this House wants to see, it’s not what Ireland should have to put up with.”

He said it represented human imprisonment of the worst kind.

Labour leader Eamon Gilmore blamed the Government for creating problems in care services.

“The reason that we have the problem described so clearly last night is that this Government has made it more difficult for families to care for older people,” he said.

He cited cuts in home help provision and home help hours.

Labour also cast blame on Health Minister Mary Harney.

Sinn Féin Dáil leader Caoimhghín Ó Caolain said Ms Harney has questions to answer, and claimed he would be calling for a special Dail debate.

“These appalling revelations demand immediate answers and immediate action from the minister for health and children,” he said.

The Health Service Executive said 52 people rang a helpline set up to answer concerns over home care services.

Nine people made complaints as a result of the phone calls, the organisation said.

“These are now being dealt with by the HSE to ensure that any issues arising are resolved as quickly as possible and that alternative arrangements are put in place for these clients, if necessary,” the HSE said.

An HSE report last summer showed 1,870 allegations of abuse made by elderly people in 2009 – an increase of 30 cases on the previous year.

Age Action disputes those figures and warned the real figure was anywhere between 14,000 and 24,000 instances of abuse against older people at some stage in their later years.

The Carers Association, which represents family carers, called on the HSE to implement strict and monitored regulations for the sector, similar to standards in nursing homes and regulated by the Health Information and Quality Authority.

Alone, which provides housing to more than 90 vulnerable older people, said Garda vetting and full training should be a condition of any job with older people.