GARDAI have launched an investigation into one of the nursing homes at the centre of RTE’s shocking exposé last week, the Irish Sun can reveal.
An RTE documentary sparked outrage last week as footage secretly recorded by undercover reporters exposed a litany of neglect and failings in the care of older people at two nursing homes.
Tanaiste Simon Harris called on gardai to investigate the shocking incidents[/caption]
The RTE doc revealed patients being roughly handled in a nursing home[/caption]
Both nursing homes included in the investigation – The Residence in Portlaoise and Beneavin Manor in Dublin – are owned by a large company called Emeis Ireland.
The damning report detailed how residents were left lying in soiled clothing, crying for help and being incorrectly handled by staff.
The family of one resident named Audeon Guy at Beneavin Manor have since gone public with their fury after footage showed their dad being roughly handled as he pleaded with staff to stop.
The Irish Sun can today confirm that gardai have launched an investigation into Beneavin Manor after they received a complaint from the family of a resident at the facility.
A Garda spokesperson said: “An Garda Siochana cannot comment on third party statements, or on named persons or businesses.
“An Garda Siochana has commenced an investigation following complaints received from a family relative of an older person.”
The Irish Sun can confirm that the nursing home that gardai are now investigating is Beneavin Manor in Dublin.
Earlier, Tanaiste Simon Harris called on gardai to investigate the shocking incidents exposed in the RTE documentary which he claimed amounted to abuse.
The Fine Gael leader told the Dail: “I have been reflecting on this and I fully accept that people work in demanding environments and I fully accept that as well but I do also believe what stems from what we’ve seen on our television screens in recent days are real questions of personal accountability.
“There are laws in our land today. There are laws in relation to assault.
“There are laws in relation to how we conduct ourselves and I would urge that a referral is made to An Garda Siochana in relation to the footage that we saw.
“Because what I saw with my own two eyes, the haunting scenes of people being, in my view, physically assaulted in their home is something that the government has responsibility to do things here absolutely but so to do the people who carry out those actions.
“I do think there is a need for a garda investigation into what we saw in relation to the individual actions of people in relation to that.”
REGULATION ISSUES
Labour TD Marie Sherlock raised the issue of the regulation of nursing homes during Leaders Questions in the Dail.
The Dublin TD questioned why Ireland does not have minimum staffing rules for nursing homes and criticised the government for allowing the sector to become dominated by big businesses.
Health Minister Jennifer Carroll McNeill will bring forward legislation to safeguard nursing homes in the coming month.
The Minister is also expected to meet HIQA next week to discuss their policing of the nursing home sector amid criticism that the watchdog failed to pick up on the problems in the two homes in RTE’s expose.
Underfire HIQA bosses will also be hauled into a Dail committee next week to be grilled about their checks on nursing homes.
