Financial guidelines 'needed' for nursing homes

Nursing homes can keep hundreds of thousands of euro for residents in what is effectively an unregulated financial service, a campaign group for older people has said.

Financial guidelines are needed for nursing homes that can keep hundreds of thousands of euro for residents in what is effectively an unregulated financial service, a campaign group for older people has said.

Reports this week by health watchdog Hiqa on six nursing homes run by Aperee Living unearthed a string of financial concerns. In one home, residents’ money appeared to have been used to support a separate company, the inspectors found.

Sage Advocacy chief executive Mervyn Taylor met with Central Bank officials on Friday to discuss financial regulation for the nursing home sector.

“The sums are so significant there has to be some guidelines, and it has to come from the Central Bank,” said Mr Taylor.

A large nursing home holding residents’ funds, from pensions and other payments, could have “into the high hundreds of thousands”, he said.

“It’s not enough for Hiqa to be involved. They're [nursing homes] unregulated providers of financial services.

The Central Bank and Hiqa and the Department of Health need to get a grip on this.

"A national adult safeguarding authority is a crucial part of the solution because it needs to have the forensic skills to deal with some of these quite complex financial issues.”

Aperee Living, in a statement to the Irish Examiner, said it is working closely with Hiqa.

“The company responded in detail to Hiqa as part of the process, which has been documented in their reports,” said a spokeswoman.

“We can confirm that all relevant policies have been updated and all residents’ finances have always been, and will continue to be, fully protected.

“We have engaged and will continue to engage with residents and families at Aperee Living’s nursing homes to directly address any concerns they may have.”

Hiqa’s report on Aperee Living Belgooly shows a large sum of money transferred out of a residents’ account to another company account in February.

Hiqa said: “The money appears to have been used to support a separate company.”

The report on Aperee Living Bantry showed residents’ money was used to cover the costs of running the centre. This money was returned.

Residents’ pension arrangements at Aperee Living Conna “were not in line with national guidance”, Hiqa found, and the home lacked a robust system to return money to families after a death.

In Waterford, inspectors found “money was transferred out of the current account in Aperee Living Ballygunner to other accounts and many of these transfers were seen to include residents’ monies”.

Reports on Aperee Living homes in Callan, Co Kilkenny, and Tralee, Co Kerry, also indicated financial concerns.

Last month, the Irish Examiner reported that Aperee Living plans to close its Belgooly facility and has paused construction of a new home and shelved extension plans at its other facilities.