Results 881-900 of 18,851 for speaker:Fergus O'Dowd
- 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.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: HIQA Report 2022: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)
Fergus O'Dowd: It also needs more accountability. I regularly read HIQA reports and understand how busy staff have to be just to do the organisation's statutory duty of care. I am sure inspectors are worn out with the travel required to do their jobs to the best of their ability. However, a lacuna remains, as do abuses that needed to be rooted out. I apologise for rushing but I have to ask the Taoiseach...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: HIQA Report 2022: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)
Fergus O'Dowd: The law is an ass. One individual is a director of 11 nursing homes where there are serious concerns about fire safety, financial irregularities and the quality of care, and some concerns about food. For all of those matters, HIQA is hidebound by the law. The Garda needs to be notified.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: HIQA Report 2022: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)
Fergus O'Dowd: Thank God. I do not know what happens in the case of a company that is malfunctioning. I know they are separate companies. We need to put somebody in straight away to take over that place. That is essential. What is happening there is unforgivable. I appreciate Ms Grogan is doing her best. However, accountability to HIQA is being avoided by the law. There have been issues around fire...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: HIQA Report 2022: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)
Fergus O'Dowd: I accept that.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: HIQA Report 2022: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)
Fergus O'Dowd: The problem with those inspections is-----