Government must prevent more admissions of under 65s into nursing homes – Ombudsman

Ombudsman Peter Tyndall said 'delivery' and 'urgency' were required to improve the lives of those affected. Picture: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie

The Government must prevent further admissions of young people to nursing homes, the Ombudsman has said, as new figures show numbers have increased by 22 since last year.

Ombudsman Peter Tyndall was addressing the Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters on his recent report, 'Wasted Lives’, which called on Government to end the practice of inappropriately placing young people, under 65, in nursing homes.

The Ombudsman’s report, published in May, highlighted 1,320 young people, many with disabilities, who were living in nursing homes that were not appropriate to their needs, as well as issues around informed consent and funding.

1,342 under-65s in nursing homes

On Thursday, health officials confirmed that as of 31 March this year, the number of under-65s living in nursing homes had increased to 1,342.

The committee heard a HSE steering group is being set up to progress the Ombudsman’s recommendations and that a €3m pilot project will transfer 18 young people from nursing homes – two from each community health area – to more appropriate accommodation this year.

HSE principal officer Bernard O'Regan said a funding submission to scale up transfers next year would be made as part of the 2022 estimates process: “We see 18 as no more than the commencement of something and we will look to grow that process substantially through the budgetary process”.

A HSE lead will be in post in a matter of weeks to oversee a mapping exercise to identify young people in nursing homes.

Dr Kathleen MacLellan of the Department of Health said the pilot project and mapping exercise would provide a “better insight into the will and preference” of young people in nursing homes.

Home support scheme

The department is also developing a statutory home support scheme to enable individuals to live more independent lives, with €10m allocated this year for a new national home support office and the rollout of a new tool to assess people’s needs.

While welcoming commitments by Government, the department, and the HSE, the Ombudsman said “delivery” and “urgency” were required to improve the lives of those affected.

“Preventing admissions or at the very least preventing permanent admissions has got to be an absolute priority,” the Ombudsman said.

“I’m heartened by everything I hear but as I’ve said delivery is where this will be measured,” he added.

Four young people who fed into the ‘Wasted Lives’ report had since died, he said, stressing that improvements must begin now while alternative solutions are put in place: 

“There needs to be work to ensure that the quality of their lives within the setting in which they find themselves is improved while they are waiting to move on.”