Financial abuse risk found at Kerry nursing home

Serious shortcomings including the risk of financial abuse were found in a Kerry-based nursing home by the State’s health services watchdog.

The Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) found that Oaklands Nursing Home just outside Listowel in Co Kerry was acting as “pension agents” for a number of residents.

Inspectors made an unannounced visit to the home, which provides accommodation for up to 51 residents, in May this year. They found the home was not paying the full pension amount to some residents as required by the Department of Social Protection.

The provider was told to make “immediate and urgent” improvements in the management and recording of residents’ finances.

There were no records of any of the transactions.

Inspectors also found that the systems in place to safeguard monies and valuables handed in for safekeeping were not sufficiently robust.

There was a large sum of money handed in for safe-keeping for one resident but there was no record kept about it. Inspectors were told that the money was being kept off-site for safekeeping.

The whole system around safekeeping of residents’ finances and personal property required immediate review as did the systems around invoicing residents for care and extra items as identified in the contracts of care,” stated the inspectors’ report.

The provider has since confirmed that the home no longer acts as a pensions agency for any resident.

The home was found to be non-compliant in a number of areas when it was inspected in April last year. Some improvements had been made but a number of issues were outstanding: gaps remained in mandatory training for staff, contracts of care needed to be reviewed, and there was inconsistent documentation.

In particular, there was no evidence of an effective and consistent quality assurance programme to continuously review and monitor the quality and safety of care.

The centre is owned and operated by Bolden Nursing Limited, which consists of three directors. One of the directors is the registered provider and he is in the centre on a daily basis.

Inspectors found that the complaints book was unavailable during their latest inspection — the person in charge said she was unable to find it. They also discovered that the provider had the keys to the store cupboards for supplies of food and essential equipment and staff did not have access to them if he was not there.

There was poor governance of the upkeep of the centre and grounds.

Meanwhile, inspectors who made an announced visit to Rochestown Nursing Home in Cork in February were not happy with how it was governed and managed.

The centre, registered to provide care to 22 dependent people over the age of 18, is situated in a rural location near Rochestown.

There was a person in charge of the centre but she had only taken on the role during the inspection. The inspectors identified a number of staffing issues that needed attention.

Inspectors also found that some residents in a 55-bed nursing home in Brittas, Co Dublin, run by the HSE, had to use a commode at night because there was no toilet close enough to the bedroom.

Residents told inspectors, who made an announced visit to St Brigid’s home last February, that they were embarrassed at having to use a commode in a shared room.

Responding, the HSE said there was a plan to move residents to a new 100-bed residential centre for older persons in Tallaght by the end of March next year.