Trust in nursing care has been shattered following explosive RTÉ Investigates programme
Trust in nursing care has been shattered following explosive RTÉ Investigates programme - The Labour Party
Labour’s spokesperson on older people Mark Wall TD has said that Ireland is no country to grow old in.
Following a harrowing RTÉ Investigates programme broadcast yesterday, Deputy Wall said mandatory reporting and increased safeguarding legislation must be a priority for Government to address the appalling scenes shown.
Deputy Wall said:
“Anyone who tuned in to the RTÉ Investigates programme last night will have been utterly devastated by the scenes that unfolded. However, the cruel reality is many families who have had contact with institutional care for older people will not have been surprised by the lack of staffing and safeguarding processes exposed.
“Before our very eyes, we saw as the basic right to dignity was indiscriminately breached, and there’s no doubt that public trust in institutional care will have been shattered as a result of the brave reporting.
“The programme exposed the profit driven actions of some homes in the country, where access to basics like pads and wipes were withheld in the interest of keeping costs down. It’s sickening. We need to move away entirely from private and for profit driven care.
“One of the most devastating scenes exposed the way in which staff morale has been eroded as a consequence of being short staffed.
“Let there be no doubt that staffing levels remain a challenge due to a failure to adequately pay those who are providing care to our older people.
“The State must prioritise the well-being and the dignity of our older people. People deserve proper care, dignity and respect as they age. Indeed, as one care provider pointed out last night on the programme, these institutions should be treated as the homes of the people living there.
“Ireland’s population is aging, yet the State remains reluctant to address the fact that most of us will either require care ourselves, or will have to care for another, and that the infrastructure currently in place is seriously lacking.
“The Department of Health and HIQA has to play a key role in addressing the issues showcased by RTÉ last night. The very first and most immediate steps should be the introduction of mandatory reporting, and increasing safeguarding legislation to protect our older people.”