Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Health Service Executive (HSE) and the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) regularly publish public health advice for older people and other service users on how to stay well and be protected, including publications on keeping well in winter and on vaccination, which are available online on HSE’s and HPSC's websites at the following web addresses:

• www2.hse.ie/living-well/winter/how-to-stay-well-in-winter/
• www2.hse.ie/living-well/winter/advice-patients-with-chronic-conditions/
• www2.hse.ie/screening-and-vaccinations/covid-19-vaccine/get-the-vaccine/
• www2.hse.ie/conditions/flu/getting-the-vaccine/
• www.hpsc.ie/publications/

Protecting older or vulnerable patients and service users who may be at risk of abuse, harm, and neglect by others in the context of their interactions with the health and social care sector is a key objective of the Department of Health, every statutory body under its aegis, and every relevant service that interacts with such adults. In the health and social care sector, a framework of standards, policies and procedures for safeguarding adults who may be at risk of abuse, harm, neglect, and exploitation within the sector is in place, and further measures are being developed to strengthen this framework. The existing framework includes:

• the application within the health sector of relevant cross-sectoral legislation, for example in relation to reporting certain offences against children or vulnerable persons to An Garda Síochána, vetting, equal status and assisted decision-making;
• the significant regulatory powers of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) and the Mental Health Commission in relation to the quality and safety of healthcare and social care provision generally (under the Health Act 2007 and the Mental Health Acts);
• joint national adult safeguarding standards developed by HIQA and the Mental Health Commission, approved by the Minister for Health;
• the roles of health and social care professional regulatory bodies in relation to, for example, professional registration requirements and professional codes of conduct;
• a range of operational structures and procedures, including in particular the HSE’s national operational adult safeguarding policy Safeguarding Vulnerable People at Risk of Abuse – Policy and Procedures (2014).

The Department of Health remains committed to ensuring that the best possible safeguards are in place to protect any of our service users who may be at risk, and significant work is ongoing to develop health sector adult safeguarding policy and legislation, building on the robust structures already in place. The Department is at an advanced stage of developing a national policy to further strengthen existing protections in the health and social care sector. Draft policy proposals have been finalised and will be the subject of an imminent public consultation, details of which will be announced very shortly.

In addition, the Programme for Government commits to ‘Introduce a statutory scheme to support people to live in their own homes, which will provide equitable access to high-quality, regulated home care’. The Department of Health continues to develop a regulatory framework for providers. This will comprise primary legislation for the licensing of providers, secondary legislation in the form of regulations, and HIQA national standards.

Work is also ongoing on the drafting of legislation to enhance the oversight and regulation of nursing homes, which will include provision for a broader suite of enforcement tools for the Chief Inspector of Social Services. In addition, Nursing Homes Expert Panel funding has been provided for an increase of 18 posts in the HSE's nine Community Healthcare Organisation (CHO) Safeguarding and Protection Teams (9 Social Work Team Leaders, 9 basic grade Social Workers). All these positions have been funded for 2024 and all posts have been filled.