Johnny Mythen (Wexford, Sinn Fein)

I thank the Labour Party for bringing this important motion to the floor. The statistics alone tell the true story of long-term residential care in our country. More than 80% of nursing homes are now owned by private bodies, with Emeis Ireland being by far the largest operator, owning more than 27 premises in total. When private companies are driven solely by profit, whose solidarity and loyalty only lie with their shareholders and their main goal is to increase dividends, there is a high level of risk that the residents themselves will become a secondary element in such a financially motivated model. This explains why the system is subject to bad conditions, bad-quality service, cutting corners such as staff shortages, low wages, and unavailable medical devices and supplies, as was exposed by the recent "RTÉ Investigates" programme on 4 June. What is needed is the State to assist and fund smaller community nursing homes and to invest in public nursing homes and community beds. Many of these small homes provide excellent-quality services to their residents. More often than not, they personally know the residents and their families as well.

Unfortunately, in my hometown of Enniscorthy, the Moyne Nursing Home recently closed, with the loss of 30 jobs. The management, the Earle family, stated: "For the past nine years we have put our blood, sweat and tears into making Moyne Nursing Home the home from home that it is today." The family stated: "Since we took over the running of the home back in 2013 we have prided ourselves on providing the highest standards of care to our residents". The family also stated that adequate funding was not provided by the Government to ensure adequate standards set by HIQA were met.

Safeguarding legislation must be introduced and an independent safeguarding authority established, as our spokesperson on health, David Cullinane, has advocated for many years now. The reporting of concerns about abuse and neglect must be made mandatory and whistleblowers must be protected. The Government must act now. More than 820,000 citizens are older than 65 years of age. With the prediction of a steady and substantial increase in the next two decades, this must ring alarm bells. A comprehensive social policy to support independent living must be implemented. A sea change in the State's current policy of privatising nursing homes must be radically invoked or we will be facing many more scandals in the near future like that exposed by RTÉ. The State must bear a duty of care to our ageing population. I ask the Government to please support this motion.

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