Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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252. To ask the Minister for Health the number of concerns or complaints received by the office of the confidential recipient since March 2020, with a full breakdown by concern type, that is, safeguarding, standards of care or medical errors; and the number of concerns or complaints that were referred to safeguarding or An Garda Síochána. [6196/23]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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As this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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253. To ask the Minister for Health to outline the process involved in HIQA deciding whether to refer safeguarding concerns to safeguarding teams or to An Garda Síochána, including the length of time it takes to decide if a matter should be referred to safeguarding teams or to An Garda Síochána; and the expertise in safeguarding possessed by the decision makers. [6197/23]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Government takes the safeguarding of vulnerable adults, including vulnerable older people, very seriously. Within the health and social care sector there are various structures and processes available to protect against abuse, including elder abuse, and ensure prompt action. All safeguarding issues are reviewed as a matter of priority to determine the most appropriate regulatory action. In situations where substantiated safeguarding issues are identified, providers are required to take action to ensure the safety of residents. If immediate risks to the safety of residents are identified, providers must take immediate action to address these issues and to prevent a recurrence and this can also include where required referral to An Garda Síochána.

The Chief Inspector within the Regulation Directorate of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has overall responsibility to register and inspect designated centres for older people, people with a disability and special care units for young people in Ireland. The functions and powers of the Chief Inspector are set out in Parts 7, 8 and 9 of the Health Act 2007 (as amended). In cases where the provider has not made the appropriate referral even after engagement with the Chief Inspector, the Chief Inspector will make the referral to An Garda Síochána.

Registered providers are also encouraged to engage the expertise of the local safeguarding teams. The timeframe for making such referral may vary depending on the individual case, such as the level of detail provided, or if follow-up information is required. By way of information, all statutory notifications of abuse are reviewed, risk rated by an inspector of social services, and a decision taken as to the regulatory action required as soon as possible and no later than five days following receipt of the information.

In all situations, the Chief Inspector continues to monitor the actions of the provider to ensure they are effective in addressing the safeguarding concerns, and ensuring that residents are supported and safeguarded. The Chief Inspector can, and has, taken further action, up to and including the cancelation of registration, where providers fail to sustain improvements to residents’ safety.

An Garda Síochána does not provide updates to the Chief Inspector on any actions they may take.

All inspectors of social services receive training as part of their role, which includes how to assess compliance with safeguarding regulations.

In December 2019, HIQA and the Mental Health Commission published the National Standards for Adult Safeguarding as approved by the Minister for Health. In addition, HIQA together with the Mental Health Commission have developed online resources to support staff working in services. Since it was launched, 27,976 people have completed the online Adult Safeguarding course.

HIQA, along with a number of other organisations, supports the work of the Department of Health in developing a national policy on adult safeguarding that will apply to all public, voluntary and private healthcare and social care settings, as well as agencies under the Department’s remit. However, the safeguarding of adults at risk of harm is not solely a matter for the health sector. The Law Reform Commission is preparing a major report on A Regulatory Framework for Adult Safeguarding across all sectors, which is expected to inform future policy.