Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 September 2020
1032. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health if he will promptly initiate a public inquiry into nursing homes in view of the evident failings in the system of care for older persons contained in the HIQA report entitled, The Impact of Covid-19 on Nursing Homes in Ireland, of 21 July 2020 and in particular the findings regarding the way in which Covid-19 got into some homes but not others. [21254/20]
View answerSince 2009 the Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, is the statutory independent regulator in place for the nursing home sector, whether a HSE managed or a private nursing home. The Authority, established under the Health Act 2007, has significant and wide-ranging powers up to and including withdrawing the registration of a nursing home facility, which means that it can no longer operate as a service provider. This responsibility is underpinned by a comprehensive quality framework comprising of Registration Regulations, Care and Welfare Regulations and National Quality Standards.
HIQA, in discharging its duties determines, through examination of all information available to it, including site inspections, whether a nursing homes meets the regulations in order to achieve and maintain its registration status. Should a nursing home be deemed to be non-compliant with the Regulations and the National Quality Standards, it may either fail to achieve or lose its registration status. In addition, the Chief Inspector has wide discretion in deciding whether to impose conditions of Registration on nursing homes.
During the response to COVID-19, Nursing homes continue to be regulated by HIQA, who under the Health Act 2007 have the legal authority to examine the operation of any facility under their remit. As you may be aware, HIQA conducted an inspection of the nursing home in question. The main objectives of this inspection are to determine the standards of care and support being provided to residents and to assess the registered provider’s statutory compliance with the regulations, as well as the governance, management and risk systems in place. The inspection report will be published in due course on the HIQA website.
The Deputy will be aware that the Nursing Homes Expert Panel Report was published on 19 August. The report includes 86 recommendations in total, over 15 thematic areas, with associated timelines for implementation over the short, medium and long term. An oversight structure has been established to ensure the implementation of the important recommendations contained in this Report. This encompasses the establishment of both an Implementation Oversight Team and a Reference Group.
The Implementation Oversight Team will determine an approach to, and oversee the implementation of, the relevant COVID-19 Nursing Homes Expert Panel recommendations.
