Written answers

Wednesday, 3 June 2020

Photo of Ruairi Ó MurchúRuairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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755. To ask the Minister for Health if he will request the HSE to establish a new easily accessible, dedicated telephone line and-or email for relatives of residents and staff in nursing homes and other congregated settings in order to raise concerns regarding the care or management of the centre with the relevant authorities. [9748/20]

Photo of Jim DalyJim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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In accordance with Regulation 34 of S.I. No. 415/2013 - Health Act 2007 (Care and Welfare of Residents in Designated Centres for Older People) Regulations 2013, registered providers of nursing home care are obliged to provide an accessible and effective complaints procedure. The Office of the Ombudsman can examine complaints about the actions of a range of public bodies and complaints relating to the administrative actions of private nursing homes. The Office of the Ombudsman normally only deals with a complaint once the individual has engaged with the nursing homes' established complaint’s procedure.

The HSE also operates a feedback and complaints process, "Your service, Your say". Details of how to make a complaint or provide feedback to the HSE, including contact details for the Office of the Confidential Recipient are available on the HSE website.

Separately, the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) welcomes information about designated centres for dependent persons, reviews all information about services received and evaluates it against the regulations and standards. 

Concerns can be communicated to:

- Phone 021 240 9646

- concerns@hiqa.ie Email

- IQA, George’s Court, Smithfield, Dublin 7, D07 E98Y

As a regulator HIQA has no legal role in examining individual complaints, however, the Authority does take into account all information it receives, including complaints from the public, when carrying out inspections and this range of information informs a risk-based approach to regulation. 

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