Derek Keating
Question:68. Deputy Derek Keating asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to a complaint (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13685/13]
View answerWednesday, 20 March 2013
Questions (68)
Written answers
Under the Health Act 2007, statutory responsibility is given to the Chief Inspector of Social Services, part of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), for the independent inspection and registration of certain categories of designated centres including residential care settings for older people.
This responsibility is underpinned by a comprehensive quality framework comprising the Health Act 2007, the Health Act 2007 (Care and Welfare of Residents in Designated Centres for Older People) Regulations 2009, as amended, the Health Act 2007 (Registration of Designated Centres for Older People) Regulations 2009 and the National Quality Standards for Residential Care Settings for Older People in Ireland.
The Care and Welfare Regulations provide that all nursing homes, both public and private, have a complaints procedure in place in relation to the making, handling and investigation of complaints.
As a regulator HIQA has no formal legal role in examining individual complaints, however, the Authority does take into account all information it receives, including complaints from the public, when carrying out inspections. The Chief Inspector has the power to refuse to register, attach conditions to a registration or cancel the registration of a designated centre in the event of non-compliance with the Regulations or the Standards.
In the case of the Health Service Executive and public facilities the Health Act 2004 provides a framework for statutory complaints. Advice and instructions for making complaints about a service or an individual may be found at www.healthcomplaints.ie. When an individual is not satisfied with the response he or she receives, he or she may wish to take the complaint further by seeking a review from the HSE’s Director of Advocacy or the Office of the Ombudsman.
Question No. 69 answered with Question No. 7.
Question No. 70 answered with Question No. 37.