Results 17,901-17,920 of 18,851 for speaker:Fergus O'Dowd

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: HIQA Report 2022: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: That is a very important point.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: HIQA Report 2022: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: That is very important because the information that is out there in the ether is that HIQA is closing it. I am very pleased to hear that HIQA will move in if it has to and that in due course, or at least when somebody is seriously ill and is in the final stages of life, they will not be suddenly taken out of the home or will die in that situation.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: HIQA Report 2022: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: It is very important to get that message out there. I am glad Ms Grogan made that clear to me. The fire safety issues that are in a very significant number of homes also apply to homes that have closed in the recent past. I have looked at those homes. A number of them are older buildings, are more than one storey high, and have annexes, mezzanines and all sorts of historic construction....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: HIQA Report 2022: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: Local government-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: HIQA Report 2022: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: With respect, I hear what Ms Grogan is saying and I support her fully. However, these are red risks and are still red risks. They have to be dealt with immediately but they have not been.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: HIQA Report 2022: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: To take up that point, HIQA's most recent report stated that the serious fire risks have not been addressed and no plan is in place. There is no plan in place.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: HIQA Report 2022: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: My point is that HIQA has failed to ensure that this happened since 2021.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: HIQA Report 2022: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: Sure.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: HIQA Report 2022: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: That has not worked.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: HIQA Report 2022: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: I accept the genuineness of Ms Grogan's intent and her professionalism and integrity in the context of what she is saying. However, it is still not working and the danger is still there. I am concerned that there will be awful events in some of these homes where there are risks and where those risks have not been addressed. I agree that one of the issues the Government must address is to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: HIQA Report 2022: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: I accept that but the point I am trying to get at is that the only body that can go in to invigilate what is going on in any nursing home is HIQA. It appears there were extant files in that home to show there were concerns about that abuse. It was written down and HIQA's inspectors did not see it or did not look to see it. Where is HIQA's accountability in that regard?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: HIQA Report 2022: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: HIQA can do that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: HIQA Report 2022: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: Here is a fact. A very short period after that court case where the gentleman concerned got his 12 years in jail, which is far too little a sentence, HIQA inspected that home and gave it a clean bill of health.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: HIQA Report 2022: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: HIQA inspected the facility after the event.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: HIQA Report 2022: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: The fact is that the person who the representatives of HIQA were to meet was not there on the day. Is that not a fact? The person in charge was not there.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: HIQA Report 2022: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: To the best of my knowledge, this was an announced inspection. My point is that the HIQA report did not identify any of those abuses, notwithstanding the fact that a criminal case had taken place. I will not mention the time because that might allow people to identify the home in question but the criminal case had taken place shortly before. That is my concern. We rely on HIQA to find out...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: HIQA Report 2022: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: Sure.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: HIQA Report 2022: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: There is such a need.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: HIQA Report 2022: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: We need change.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: HIQA Report 2022: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: HIQA needs more powers and staff.