Vol. 536 No. 5
79 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children the position regarding the working group set up to advise the Government on the formulation of procedures and guidelines on abuse of the elderly; the number of times they have met; when they will issue a report; and the recommendations they have made to date. [14875/01]
Following the publication of the Report "Abuse, Neglect and Mistreatment of Older People: an Exploratory Study" by the National Council on Ageing and Older People, I established a broad-based working group towards the end of 1999 to advise me on the formulation of procedures and guidelines on elder abuse. It is chaired by Dr. Desmond O'Neill, Consultant Physician in Medicine of Old Age. The terms of reference of the working group are to advise on the development of principles, policies and guidelines in relation to elder abuse and, in this regard, to make recommendations in relation to such of the following matters as it considers appropriate: definitions and terminology, identification and screening procedures, assessment protocols and procedures, management of sensitive information, recording and reporting procedures, inter-agency communications and referral practices, intervention issues and procedures to evaluate their impact, any necessary changes in legislation and legal procedures, training of relevant staff in the statutory, voluntary and private sectors, the need for appropriate structures to deal with elder abuse.
The group includes representatives from my Department, health boards, the Garda, the National Council on Ageing and Older People, the Irish Nursing Homes Organisation, the Association of Home Help Organisers and voluntary organisations who represent the interests of older people. The group also includes a consultant physician in geriatric medicine, a consultant in the psychiatry of old age, a consultant psychiatrist, a general practitioner and a clinical psychologist. It has drawn up a comprehensive two year work programme which will involve, inter alia, development of a training brief, the organisation of pilot projects, implementation of awareness and training programmes, preparation of evaluation report, and culminating in the presentation of a final report to me. I am providing significant resources to ensure that the work is completed within the time frame envisaged.
Draft policies, procedures and guidelines, drawn up by the working group, are at present being tested in pilot projects which were recently commenced in two community care areas. Training programmes have been provided for staff members and ongoing evaluation is taking place. The main purpose of the evaluation is to assess whether the draft policies, procedures and guidelines in the identification, assessment and management of elder abuse, are appropriately designed and effective in the two health board areas. The working group has met on 15 occasions. It set a deadline of 31 December 2001 to issue a report and recommendations. Although valuable time was lost in getting people together for training sessions, due to the foot and mouth restrictions, the group is reasonably confident of finishing its work within the target date.
The group will not be issuing any interim reports. I look forward to receiving the working group's report.
80 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Health and Children his views on the call made at the recent Irish Nurses Organisation conference for the appointment of an ombudsman for the elderly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14809/01]
81 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Health and Children his views on the call made at the recent Irish Nurses Organisation conference for an inquiry into standards at private nursing homes catering for the elderly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14808/01]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 80 and 81 together.
I am aware that a number of issues relating to the provision of services for older people were raised during the Irish Nurses Organisation conference which was held recently.
The role of the health boards in relation to private nursing homes as provided for in the Health (Nursing Homes) Act, 1990, is twofold – first, to ensure high standards of accommodation in the homes, and secondly, to operate a subvention scheme towards the cost of nursing home care. Under the Nursing Homes Act, health boards are empowered to pay a subvention where a person has been assessed on the grounds of means and dependency. The question of admission to a private nursing home is a matter between the patient and the owner of the nursing home.
The Health (Nursing Homes) Act, 1990 requires nursing homes to be registered with their local health board. Regulations made under the Act require that there must be proper standards in nursing homes, including adequate and suitable accommodation, staffing, kitchen and sanitary facilities, access to medical care, facilities for recreation and other arrangements to ensure the health and well-being of residents. Nursing homes are required to renew their registration every three years and a health board may at the time of registration, or subsequently, impose conditions in relation to registration. The regulations provide for periodic inspections at least once every six months by the health boards, which are empowered to prosecute registered proprietors and persons in charge in the event of breaches of the regulations.
