Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)

I found the “RTÉ Investigates” programme horrifying, obviously, and very difficult to watch. It was clear that the older people were not being treated as human beings, with decency, dignity and respect. Instead, many were being treated simply as a burden – a burden for whom there were not enough gloves or incontinence pads. They were treated like sacks of meat thrown on the chair, as was the case with one man. It is clear that this is not unprecedented or really unexpected. Cost-cutting, staff shortages, elder abuse and the ripping off of vulnerable people are all inevitable when you hand over healthcare to faceless multinationals motivated only by profit.

SIPTU, ALONE and the INMO have all pointed to privatisation as being at the root of this scandal. The root is neoliberal Government policy implemented by successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments to outsource our care of older people to multinational corporations.

In the 1980s, three quarters of nursing homes were publicly owned and operated, but now the proportion is less than a fifth. Private, for-profit operators control 74% of our nursing home beds, and just ten investment funds in Ireland control 30% of our nursing home beds.

This did not happen by accident. This is not something that unfortunately happened, that Micheál Martin and so on are very sad about. It was deliberate Government policy. As with private hospitals, the State provided private nursing homes with massive tax relief on capital expenditure and guaranteed them an income stream through Mary Harney's so-called fair deal scheme. Income for private nursing homes through the fair deal scheme has ballooned. Total funding is now over €1.2 billion a year, 80% of which goes to private nursing homes. The fees are incredible.

At The Residence in Portlaoise, fees are upwards of €1,200 a week, but not satisfied with that, the abusive, money-grabbing multinational, Emeis, which runs The Residence, has also been ripping off elderly people and their families by illegally charging extra for essentials like medication, dressings and pressure-relieving mattresses to prevent bedsores. Incontinence wear costs up to €90 extra a month. A hip protector is €60 a month. If residents go into hospital, they have to pay for their own transport plus a staff charge of up to €45 an hour. How much of that do the carers see? Maybe a third or a half, with the rest going to the largest nursing home provider in the State. Families are charged €15 a week if they want to rent a sensor that alerts them if a patient falls out of a bed or a chair. Given the gross understaffing of The Residence, it looks like they would need it.

Incredibly, there is no legal minimum staff to resident ratio for nursing homes. Presumably, the private providers lobby to keep it that way because wages are their main cost. That is why nursing home carers are among the lowest paid and most overworked workers in the country. That is how much this Government, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, value older people. The stock response is to say that better regulation is needed. Yes, absolutely, it is. For years, care champions and others have been screaming about this and pushing for safeguarding legislation. This scandal should force the Government to act. Ultimately, we are not just talking about a few bad apples. This neglect and abuse is endemic in a system that is for profit. We have to end the privatisation and bring it back into public ownership.

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