Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)

I am taking this Adjournment debate on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney.

The overarching policy of the Government is to support older people to live in dignity and independence in their own homes and communities for as long as possible and to support access to quality long-term residential care where this is appropriate. The Government places great importance on the policies and practical reforms we are implementing to ensure patient safety and quality-assured health services.

The Minister assumes the issue the Senator is referring to is the registration and inspection regime in respect of designated centres for older people, or nursing homes.

It is important to have effective mechanisms to maintain and enhance public confidence in the delivery of quality residential care. Residents, their families and the public need to be reassured that the authority is monitoring the care people receive. The Health Act 2007 provides this, with a regime designed to protect the public through an independent inspection and registration system for residential services. The primary legislation also defines what is a designated centre, and this includes an institution at which residential services are provided.

On 1 July 2009, statutory responsibility was given to the chief inspector of social services, part of the Health Information and Quality Authority, for inspecting and registering nursing homes. This responsibility is underpinned by a comprehensive quality framework comprising the Health Act 2007, the Health Act 2007 (Care and Welfare of Residents in Designated Centres for Older People) Regulations 2009 and the National Quality Standards for Residential Care Settings for Older People in Ireland.

Over the past year the system, nature, frequency and duration of inspections have changed. Some homes may receive just one inspection a year, others may have four or five, depending on risk analysis and their previous inspection history. The formal inspections may also last a number of days. HIQA has advised the Department of Health and Children that between 1 July 2009 and 28 May 2010, it carried out 548 inspections covering 371 centres.

The standards themselves acknowledge the unique and complex needs of the individual person at the centre of care, and require service providers to deliver a person-centred and comprehensive service that promotes health, well-being and quality of life. They are about much more than infrastructure. They are patient-centred, providing a blueprint for the provision of a higher standard of care delivered against a set of understood and developed criteria, designed to improve and enhance care and to recognise good practice. They are evidence based, and identify whether the best services possible are being delivered in an effective and appropriate way.

National standards are set by HIQA and under section 10 of the Health Act 2007, it is required to submit proposed standards for the Minister for Health and Children for approval. She approved the current ones on 17 February 2009. The authority has confirmed it will not be reviewing them in 2010. However, it is intended that the Department of Health and Children will commence a review of the care and welfare regulations later this year.

All nursing homes for older people are subject to the same core standards on quality and safety. The Minister is sure the Senator will agree lessons had to be learned from the well publicised incidents in nursing homes over the last few years and from reports such as that of the Leas Cross commission of investigation, published just last year. This new system of regulation and inspection is to underpin quality and safety for residents in nursing homes.

The Minister reassures the House that the residents are our primary concern. Quality care and patient safety come first with all residents receiving the same high standard of quality-assured care. It is my hope the progress we have made will reassure older people and their families that high quality care is available and will make the transition from independent living a less daunting prospect.

I take the opportunity to thank the staff of the Seanad and everyone involved in the running of the Houses for all their care and work during the year and wish everyone the best for the summer recess.