Áine Brady (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)

It is the Government's policy to support older people to live in dignity and independence in their own homes and communities for as long as possible. To this end, an additional €200 million has been invested in community services. Where support in this way is not feasible, we support access to quality long-term residential care where appropriate.

In line with the introduction of the fair deal scheme, the Government was conscious of the need to ensure that, once access to residential care was available to those who needed it, the quality of the care would need to meet rigorous standards. It is important that we have effective mechanisms in place to maintain and enhance public confidence in the delivery of quality services. The welfare and safety of each resident guides us in reforming the health service and we in Government place great importance on the policies, standards and legislation we are implementing.

We are all aware of previous failings and their impact on residents and their families. It is important that the lessons we learn from these few, but controversial and well publicised events will continue to inform our thinking in respect of long-term care. We must take all necessary measures to prevent such events recurring. Residents, their families and the public need to be reassured that an independent regulator is monitoring the care residents receive. The Health Act 2007 provides this, with a regime designed to reassure through an independent inspection and registration system for residential services.

On 1 July 2009, statutory responsibility was given to the Chief Inspector of Social Services, part of HIQA, for inspecting and registering nursing homes. This responsibility is underpinned by a comprehensive quality framework comprising the Health Act 2007, the Health Act 2007 (Care and Welfare of Residents in Designated Centres for Older People) Regulations 2009, the Health Act 2007 (Registration of Designated Centres for Older People) Regulations 2009 and the national quality standards for residential care settings for older people in Ireland.

The national standards consist of 32 standards focusing on the outcomes for the resident under seven groupings, those being, rights, protection, health and social needs, quality of life, staffing, the care environment and governance and management. These standards provide the basis for the best quality of care to be provided, monitored and enforced in all nursing homes. The standards acknowledge the unique and complex needs of the individual at the centre of care and require service providers to deliver a person-centred and comprehensive service that promotes health, well-being and quality of life.

We must also acknowledge that the standards are about much more than infrastructure. They are a blueprint for the provision of a higher standard of care delivered against a set of understood and developed criteria and are designed to improve and enhance care and to recognise good practice. All homes are subject to the same core standards in respect of quality and safety.

As formal standards are a key requirement for inspection and registration, all current residential facilities for older people must comply with both the national standards and the regulations underpinning them. If a nursing home is not in compliance, it may either fail to achieve or lose its registration status. Our overall emphasis is on promoting a high-quality patient-centred service delivered to those who require it and in the most appropriate setting. HIQA has registered more than 600 designated centres for older people in accordance with the Health Act 2007. To date, the authority has inspected all of these designated centres and carried out more than 900 inspections.

Recent years have brought significant changes to the nursing home sector. By introducing this new system of registration and inspection in 2009, we changed the landscape of the regulatory framework for all nursing homes. As the Minister of State with responsibility for older people, I am proud of the Government's achievements in this regard. We have a national system of financial support for all those assessed as requiring long-term residential care.

We have underpinned this with a quality assurance mechanism of standards and care and welfare regulations, subject to independent inspection by HIQA. Fundamental to all of these initiatives has been the principle that the resident and his or her family are at the centre of the service and all decision making.

This shows clearly the Government's commitment to older people, a commitment we are continuing and will continue to uphold.

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