HSE figures show surge in complaints of institutional abuse in nursing homes 

Typically when a complaint is made regarding alleged abuse in a nursing home a designated officer carries out the aforementioned screening process, with the result submitted to the HSE's overall safeguarding team. File picture

Complaints of institutional abuse in nursing homes surged in the first nine months of the year, with 168 reports made by mid-September — 42% more than were received in the whole of last year.

New HSE figures show allegations of neglect and financial abuse are also both up on the whole year figures for 2025.

Meanwhile, at least 54% of the complaints made about alleged abuse in nursing homes since the introduction of an online reporting system in 2024 were deemed "to have reasonable grounds for concern".

There have been 2,164 complaints to the HSE about safeguarding concerns in nursing homes to date in 2026, compared with 2,511 across the 12 months of 2025, according to figures released to Social Democrats TD for Cork East Liam Quaide.

Mr Quaide said the numbers indicate a need for "comprehensive adult safeguarding legislation" and the creation of a national safeguarding authority.

"Safeguarding should not depend on each organisation interpreting and applying policy in its own way," he said.

"We need comprehensive, rights-based legislation that sets clear duties to report and prevent harm, gives a statutory safeguarding body the powers to act when concerns arise, and ensures proper co-operation, independent oversight and accountability across all sectors," he added.

A spokesperson for the HSE said that the complaints being received about care in nursing homes include "poor care standards, incidents of resident-to-resident aggression, staff witnessing abusive interactions with visitors, and families concerned about relatives experiencing neglect in areas such as nutrition and personal care".

Regarding the spike in safeguarding concerns generally, the spokesperson said that "numerous factors" could be responsible.

They include increased education in nursing homes about safeguarding, larger numbers of designated officers within the private nursing home sector, heightened social awareness regarding concerns over abuse within the sector, and the development of an online system for safeguarding in September 2024 aimed at making the process of lodging a complaint simpler.

"Following a screening process, if there is an outcome of reasonable grounds established, then an adult safeguarding plan needs to be put in place for that adult," the spokesperson said.

All told 5,907 complaints have been received since the introduction of the system, indicating that 3,190 of them have given reasonable grounds for concern.

The numbers released by the HSE indicate complaints which can be logged under multiple categories of abuse — meaning that one complaint could trigger numerous entries in the register.

Typically when a complaint is made regarding alleged abuse in a nursing home a designated officer carries out the aforementioned screening process, with the result submitted to the HSE's overall safeguarding team.

Institutional abuse and neglect, separate categories of abuse, are differentiated between harmful practices mandated by an institution versus the failure to meet a person's needs on an individual care basis.

While several categories of abuse – psychological, physical, sexual, and discriminatory — were still lower than the full-year figures for 2025 as of September 17 of this year, every category is projected to run ahead of last year's figures over the full 12 months.