There is still no legislation governing the inspection of nursing homes — 14 months after substandard care was exposed at Leas Cross, the Dáil heard today.
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said the Government had promised new laws 'within months' of the RTE Prime Timeprogramme showing serious bedsores among patients' going untreated, poor hygiene standards and verbally abusive staff at the north Dublin facility in May 2005.
He said during Leaders' Questions today that the Taoiseach and his ministers had neglected the issue.
"The Taoiseach refused to apportion responsibility to anyone, either members of the health boards or his ministers. This is a national scandal," Mr Kenny said.
"The Government has broken the promise on the law and broken the promise on new standards and new inspections. How many more old men and women must spend their last days with weeping bed sores while this debacle continues on this Government's watch?"
"You were able to bring in legislation within two days to take money back off people in long-stay public institutions," Mr Kenny noted.
Mr Ahern criticised the Fine Gael for apportioning blame and failing to recognise the good work being done in nursing homes.
"The easiest thing to do is to come in here and apportion blame to everyone, to say nothing is right without ever standing up for those working every day to look after the elderly.
"It's the easiest thing in the world to find somewhere somewhere and paint that as being everywhere," the Taoiseach said.
He vowed a robust inspection regime will be delivered by the Health Bill 2006, which was currently being finalised and would be published in the present Dáil session.
He promised an office of chief inspector of social services to stautory powers, with specific responsibility for the registration and inspection of all nursing home places both public and private.The inspectorate will have the power to make unannounced inspections, Mr Ahern continued.
But Mr Kenny insisted serious problems are continuing. He said he had verified a case referred to him by a nurse who had treated a woman resident of nursing home who had a mental disorder.
He quoted from a letter writtn by the nurse about the womans festering leg sores who said "if I did not dress her legs every day in our centre she would come in every morning bare-legged, winter or summer, wearing slippers and the discharge running down her legs.
"After repeated calls to the nursing home, this lady came in one morning with nappy liners placed on open sores."
Minister for Justice Michael McDowell called Mr Kenny 'a fraud' and 'an amateur detective' across the chamber.
Speaking on RTE radio this morning the Health Service Executive (HSE) acknowledged weaknesses in the reporting of inappropriate care.
Director of Primary, Community and Continuing Care Aiden Browne said more money was needed but that a system was being implemented and the issue was a priority for the HSE.
The Irish Nursing Homes Organisation (INHO) which represents private care providers later criticised the approach of both HSE and the Government.
Chief Executive Tadhg Daly said that just one week after a report deeply critical of the HSE's provision for long-stay patients, one of his members had been asked to take a high-dependency patient for €419 per week when such residents typically cost €1,200 per week to care for in the public service.
"The HSE is guilty of a double standard. They are sending inspection teams to nursing homes around the country and at the same time they are bargain-hunting for the cheapest beds available," Mr Daly said.
Mr Daly also questioned the emphasis on inspection reports when the Government had yet to uniform standards. "Public confidence in the sector will not be restored until the Minister for Health introduces enforceable minimum standards of care which all nursing homes will be expected to meet", Mr Daly said.
Additional reporting PA