Care advocacy group call on Government to speed up safeguarding reform

The International Day of Older Persons has taken place every year on October 1 since it was launched by the UN in 1991.  Picture: File

Care advocacy group Care Champions has called on the government to mark today’s International Day of Older Persons by speeding up regulatory safeguarding reform.

The group has also repeated calls for a national inquiry into nursing home care and deaths during the pandemic.

Calls for the reform go back years and advocacy groups like Care Champions have grown increasingly concerned about the pace of change.

Given the number of allegations of abuse and neglect, and the 2,000-plus Covid-19 related deaths behind closed doors in nursing homes during the pandemic, they feel change is not happening fast enough.

Tightening regulations

The government agreed to tighten the current regulatory framework for nursing homes earlier this year to include more powers for Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa).

It also agreed to begin a broader review of nursing homes regulation in 2022.

Added to this, the Department of Health has said it is developing a national policy on adult safeguarding in the private and public health and social care sector, while a formal public consultation exercise on safeguarding is to be launched later this year.

However, the department is still some way off from getting either a draft safeguarding policy or legislation that might be required to underpin the policy approved by the government.

Majella Beattie, of Care Champions, said: “Today on International Day of Older Persons we are calling on the government to urgently implement safeguarding measures to ensure older residents in care are safe.

“This includes legislation, the legal right of entry for social workers into all homes, and a care partner system, which can enable a designated family or friend to participate in care and can include support with digital technology.

We are calling on the Government to hold a public inquiry into the standards of care and deaths of residents during the pandemic.

“Only through learning from the tragedies and traumas of the past 19 months, can we forge a better future for all residents, and to ensure the experiences of our families are not repeated again.” 

The International Day of Older Persons has taken place every year on October 1 since it was launched by the UN in 1991.

This year’s theme for International Day of Older Persons is digital equity for all ages.

Ms Beattie added: “The pandemic has highlighted the gross disparities facing older adults in the digital world.

“The digital world became even more important than ever for nursing home residents who were disconnected from the outside world, including their families for months on end.

Some of our families watched their loved one die on zoom or whats app, others whispered goodbye through phones.

“Technology provided outreach at some of the darkest hours.

“However, it cannot and does not replace human contact and connection that many older people so desperately wanted throughout the pandemic.”