Mary White (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Hoctor, to the House and compliment her, the Minister, Deputy Harney, and the Department of Health and Children on overseeing the National Quality Standards for Residential Care Settings for Older People, published by the Health Information and Quality Authority.

In the wake of the report by Professor Des O'Neill, consultant geriatrician at Tallaght Hospital, into the Leas Cross nursing home and its significant shortcomings as a care provider, it is heartening to see that such comprehensive quality standards are now being put in to place. Clear criteria of what is expected of a provider of residential nursing home care and what level of service a resident and his or her family can expect to receive are now provided. It is of paramount importance that we protect our most vulnerable citizens and give them the support they need to live their lives in a safe, caring and respectful environment.

According to Professor Des O'Neill, past research carried out at Tallaght Hospital has revealed that many general practitioners have observed substandard care in nursing homes, but many of them were unsure of where to turn to report this or how to take the matter further. Now for the first time, all residential care homes for older people which are run by both private and voluntary bodies and the Health Service Executive, will be inspected by an independent authority. Once the necessary regulations set by the Minister for Health and Children are in place, the social services inspectorate of the Health Information and Quality Authority will register and inspect all these residential care homes to ensure they meet the new quality standards.

Dr. Marion Witton, chief inspector of social services at the Health Information and Quality Authority stated:

At the heart of the new standards is a deeper focus on the individual needs of residents. Each resident must now receive a contract setting out what they can expect regarding accommodation, care and services. Residents' independence should be preserved and they should be able to enjoy a flexible daily routine which can be varied to suit their needs. Where appropriate, their lives in the residential care setting should reflect as far as possible the lives they lived before they entered their new home. The emphasis will be on evidence that residents are being looked after properly and that individual needs are being met.

It is evident that these standards have been devised to promote best practice in Irish nursing homes. This new system of registration, inspection and regulation will ensure improvements in the quality of care, and the registration and inspection process will act as a deterrent to unqualified people establishing sub-standard residential care homes. Our older people and their families can gain confidence from knowing that an independent authority is now registering and inspecting residential care settings against a defined set of national quality standards.

The provision of quality services to older people is a priority for us all and as we will all grow old, it is refreshing to see that in developing these standards, the authority adopted a comprehensive approach to ensure all stakeholders had the opportunity to have an input into the development of the standards. There has been public consultation, including direct consultation with the people who use residential care services, the people providing nursing home services, health care professionals, older persons advocacy groups, the Department of Health and Children and the Health Service Executive. Building on the excellent work done by the Minister, Deputy Harney, the Minister of State, Deputy Hoctor, and the Department of Health and Children on the fair deal, on which I spoke this morning, when the necessary regulations are implemented, this initiative stands to offer peace of mind to our older citizens in full-time residential care and to their families.

It is important that we implement the highest quality standards for health and social care services for our older generation. The implementation of these new standards will have a great and meaningful impact on the lives of our older people in full-time residential care. Older people should be allowed to lead full and active lives that are as close as possible to the lives they have already led. I envisage that these standards will work effectively to combat previously unsatisfactory staff-resident ratios in nursing homes around the country, putting an end to chilling reports of people having to go to bed at 6 p.m. because of staff shortages.

Older people and their families have a right to true and accurate information regarding nursing home facilities and quality of care. They should have a say in the running of the homes in which they are involved. We need to ensure that best practice is achieved by all providers of residential nursing home care and that all complaints are taken on board and acted upon. There is an ever-apparent need for transparency in the current system and I have faith that these guidelines will provide that.

These standards also serve to safeguard the finances of older people, which should ensure that no older person will be incorrectly charged for nursing home services again. This, coupled with the new fair deal scheme, will provide reassurance to people in full-time residential care and their families and prove to further strengthen the Government commitment to the welfare of older people in our community. Ultimately, this initiative is a very positive step in the health service reform programme and it is important the public is aware of these rigorous guidelines with which nursing homes will soon have to comply. As I stated in my policy document, A New Approach to Ageing and Ageism, published in June 2006, improving the quality of life for each individual in long-stay care should be our constant preoccupation.

The provision of nursing home care should not be cold-bloodedly about making money. Nursing homes must give tender, loving care to the people under their control. It is frightening and daunting for older people to think they will end up in a nursing home where there is no care or love and where their habits are not considered. I have been in a position to visit two nursing homes in the past three years and I was not impressed. We should not be afraid to speak out when we feel that people are not being looked after and are being forced into a routine. I find it frightening and Orwellian when one visits a nursing home to see all the older people sitting around in a circle. Something must change.

I read in The Guardian last year that Jon Snow, the Channel 4 newsman, brought his young daughter to visit an older person in a nursing home. The child's comment on the home was to ask what the older person could have done to deserve to be left in a place like that. We must consider the integration of older people into housing estates and the planning and location of nursing homes. In my travels around the country as a Senator, I find that many nursing homes are in the middle of nowhere. How they get planning permission is beyond me.

I wish the Minister of State, Deputy Hoctor, well. She did a mighty job at the parliamentary party meeting last night in answering all the questions on the fair deal. She was not daunted although it is a complicated issue. I wish her the best of luck.