UP TO 50 complaints, some involving serious cases of poor care, neglect and inadequate staffing, have been upheld against nursing homes in counties Cork and Kerry since 2005.
The complaints, all of which were investigated by the Health Services Executive (HSE), included incidents where the arm of a patient was fractured while in bed; people left dehydrated and pressure sores and ulcers not treated. The information was obtained from the HSE under the Freedom of Information Act by Fine Gael TD Fergus O’Dowd.
Separately, Mr O’Dowd also received information about two serious cases in homes in Donegal.
At Hillcrest House nursing home in Letterkenny a patient fell in the summer of 2007m but despite complaining of pain was not admitted to hospital for two months. She was subsequently found to have a broken shoulder.
In the other case, staff at the HSE-run Falcarragh Community Hospital placed socks on the hands and arms of an elderly male patient and then tied them together to prevent him from removing an incontinence garment. He was also placed facing the wall.
Mr O’Dowd last night told The Irish Times that the sheer number of failings and neglect that have been exposed suggested to him that “nothing has changed since the Leas Cross scandal”.
The Fine Gael TD said that he had forwarded the documents and files he has received to the Irish Human Rights Commission, the Health Information Quality Authority (Hiqa) as well as to the Garda Síochána.
Mr O’Dowd also highlighted what he said was a glaring weakness with Hiqa. He contended that the authority has been established but has not yet received the authority to start inquiries into private or public nursing homes.
According to the information supplied from the HSE in Cork and Kerry, there were a total of 14 complaints in 2005; 26 in 2007 and eight so far in 2008.
The upheld complaints in both counties included lack of clinical experience, inappropriate administration of medication, poor nursing care, poor infection control and delays in toileting.
In one instance in the Upton Nursing Home in Innishannon, Co Cork, an allegation was made in relation to dehydration, pressure ulcers and bruising on body, both new and discoloured. The “complete complaint” was validated and staff educated on relief of pressure ulcers and dehydration.
The details of another case at Rosenalee nursing home in Ballincollig Co Cork stated: “Pressure ulcer. Antibiotics prescribed for infected heel were not obtained for the patient until three days later when the family got a prescription from the chemist.
“Nursing home said they did not have an arrangement with a chemist to get prescriptions on Sundays.”
