Tony McLoughlin (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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428. To ask the Minister for Health if he is aware that many nursing homes in the Sligo-Leitrim constituency believe that they are in breach of Health Information and Quality Authority's regulations as they do not have access to a Health Service Executive elder abuse case worker due to a change in policy by the executive; if, as per the authority's standard 8.1, each nursing home's policy must outline procedures for reporting concerns or allegations of abuse to the executive; the way in which this can occur without access to an elder abuse care worker; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5447/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Health Information and Quality Authority is the independent authority established under the Health Act 2007 to monitor safety and quality and drive improvement in Ireland’s health and personal social care services. Since 2009 all nursing homes have been registered and inspected by HIQA.

This responsibility is underpinned by a comprehensive framework, including the National Quality Standards for Residential Care Settings for Older Peopleand the Health Act, 2007 (Care and Welfare of Residents in Designated Centres for Older People) Regulations, 2013. The National Standards, which are based on the legislation, set out what is expected in terms of the service provided to residents, with a focus on continuous development of safe and effective care.

The Regulations are aimed at ensuring proper standards of care for nursing homes and include provisions on residents' rights and protection from abuse. Nursing home providers must ensure that all reasonable measures are taken to protect residents from all forms of abuse, and these measures include staff training on the detection and prevention of and response to abuse. Any incident or allegation of abuse must be investigated by the provider and policies must be in place for the prevention, detection and response to abuse. Furthermore, nursing home providers must notify HIQA of any allegation, suspected or confirmed, of abuse of any resident within 3 working days of its occurrence.

HIQA takes into account and uses all information received to inform and plan its regulatory activity. Its programme of both scheduled and unannounced inspections helps to ensure standards are maintained, and where issues of non-compliance arise, these are addressed and rectified. If a nursing home is found not to be in compliance with Regulations it can either fail to achieve or lose its registration status.

The HSE's National Policy and Procedures for Safeguarding Vulnerable Adultspublished in 2014, sets out a consistent approach to safeguarding and protecting persons at risk of abuse across both older people and disability services. A National Office for Safeguarding Vulnerable Persons was established in the HSE in 2015. In each Community Healthcare Organisation, a Safeguarding and Protection Team will work closely with all relevant service providers to support the timely and appropriate responses to concerns of abuse or neglect.

Services in the Sligo/Leitrim area are an operational matter for the HSE and that aspect of your question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.

However, should the Deputy feel there is cause for serious immediate concerns he should contact Mr. Paschal Moynihan, Specialist and National Safeguarding Office, Tel: 061 461165 /Email: paschal.moynihan@hse.ie