The Health Information and Quality Authority has begun a nationwide public consultation on new National Standards for nursing homes and residential care settings providing services to older people.

Marie Kehoe-O’Sullivan, Director of Quality and Safety Improvement at HIQA, said: “The current standards are now five years old and nursing home care has moved on during this time. We have also learned a lot from five years of inspecting these centres and the new standards reflect where significant improvements have been made but also where further attention is needed. 

“We know that staff and management in residential care want to provide the best care for their residents and these new standards will help them promote improvement in areas such as medication management, person-centred care, infection prevention and risk management. Service providers are also more aware now of their responsibilities in ensuring the safety and wellbeing of residents and, having experienced regulation of the sector, they are also clear on the consequences of not doing so,” she said.

“It must be noted however that only 1 of the 566 centres inspected by HIQA in 2013 resulted in enforcement procedures being taken. This is clear evidence of regulation working for the benefit of the people using these services.

HIQA is seeking feedback on the new Draft Standards from residents and their families, interested groups, people working in nursing homes and from the general public.

“Older people have a right to live as full a life as possible in a high quality, safe and respectful environment. For the approximately 6% of older people in Ireland living in residential care, this is vitally important for them as these nursing homes are where they live.”

The Standards published today represent a revision by HIQA of the standards published in 2009. They take into account feedback from providers and residents living in residential care settings as well as evidence-based international research.

The Standards are relevant to all people living in a residential care centre or a respite care centre for older persons. They focus on the individual and set out the rights of residents, including their entitlement to protection, high quality, safe and respectful care, as well as matters such as staffing and management of the residential care settings.

The Standards apply toservices provided in all nursing homes, and other care settings such as geriatric hospital wards, run by the HSE, privateorganisationsor voluntary bodies.

Registered nursing homes are subject to monitoring and inspection on a regular basis to ensure they are meeting the Standards and complying with the legislation and regulations.

Marie Kehoe-O’Sullivan concluded: “Following today’s launch of the Draft Standards, we would like to hear from nursing home residents, their families and the public. The information collected from the consultation process will be used to inform the development of the final set of Standards. These will be submitted to the Board of the Authority and then to the Minister for Health for approval. Subject to approval, they will then become mandated as the new National Standards and will apply across all residential care settings for older people.”

The final date for receipt of submissions is 24 September 2014. Copies of the Draft Standard, an easy to read version and a poster about the consultation are also being sent to every nursing home in the country. You can also watch the video on YouTube, listen to the audio version or follow HIQA on Twitter and Facebook.

ENDS

Further Information: 

Sinead Whooley, Communications Manager, Health Information and Quality Authority
Tel 01 814 7488/ 087 9221941 swhooley@hiqa.ie

Notes to the Editor: 

• The regulation of nursing homes involves using National Standards, legislation and regulations to ensure that services are providing safe and effective care for people living there.
• Since 2009, all nursing homes and residential services for older people in Ireland have to be registered with HIQA.
• HIQA is legally responsible for regulating these services and monitoring and inspecting all providers to make sure they are complying with the regulations and meeting the National Standards.
• Designated centres for older people include residential and residential centre-based respite services that are:
  • privately-operated nursing homes as defined by Health (Nursing Homes) Act, 1990
  • Health Service Executive (HSE)-operated residential centres for older people, or
  • residential centres for older people operated by HSE-funded bodies.
• As of 31 December 2013, there were 566 designated centres for older people registered. The majority of these (75%) were privately-operated nursing homes. The remainder were HSE-operated centres (20%) and centres operated by bodies in receipt of HSE funding (5%).
• For further information on how HIQA regulates residential services go to www.hiqa.ie