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Overview | SSI Background | Inspection Reports | Information for Children & Parents | Children's Standards | Social Care Guidance | Residential Care Services for older people | Information for nursing home providers
Independent Inspection of Nursing Homes Begins
From July, the Health Information and Quality Authority will be responsible for the registration and inspection of all residential care services for older people.
For the first time all residential care services for older people, including HSE run centres, private and voluntary nursing homes will be subject to registration and inspection.
All services will be subject to the regulatory process and residents, relatives and the public will know what to expect in a residential care setting, regardless of where this service is located or who delivers it.
Nursing homes will be inspected against the National Quality Standards for Residential Care Settings for Older People in Ireland, and regulated under the Health Act 2007, to see if they are safe and whether the residents are cared for properly. The standards, which were mandated by the Minister for Health in Children in March 2009, were developed by the Authority in consultation with a wide variety of people. They place the resident at the centre of the process. The standards work on the basis that the centre is the person’s home.
Services will only be allowed to operate if they are registered by the Authority and they will be inspected regularly to ensure they maintain a high level of care.
The Authority will be inspecting residential services on an ongoing basis after July 2009 and will re-register each centre every three years. The inspections will be a mixture of both announced and unannounced visits. These will happen by day and also in the evenings, at weekends and at night.
The registration and inspection process will be completely independent and reports will be published after every inspection. These will be available on the Health Information and Quality Authority’s website (www.hiqa.ie).
These inspection reports will provide information to the residents themselves, their families and the general public about the standards of care in individual centres.
More information is available
More information on the registration and inspection of nursing homes, as well as on the National Standards, is available by:
- calling the advice line: 021 240 9660
- email: inspections@hiqa.ie
- writing to: Health Information and Quality Authority, Social Services Inspectorate, 1301 City Gate, Mahon, Cork
Wanted - Relatives Panel Volunteers
The Health Information and Quality Authority wants to hear what you have to say. You have the right to be heard so why not volunteer for our Relatives Panel? This will consist of groups of relatives of people (past and present) in nursing homes coming together to provide feedback to the Authority’s Social Services Inspectorate on how we can work together to further improve the safety and quality of these homes.
If this is something you would be interested in we would like to hear from you. Contact us on 021 240 9660 or write to us at: Health Information and Quality Authority, Social Services Inspectorate, 1301 City Gate, Mahon, Cork or email: relativespanel@hiqa.ie
Standards
Find out more about the National Quality Standards for Residential Care Settings for Older People in Ireland.
The purpose of the standards is to promote best practice in residential care settings for older people and improve the quality of life of residents in these settings.
The quality standards clearly outline what is expected of a provider of services and what a resident, their family, a carer, or the public can expect to receive in residential care settings.
Complaints and concerns
In the first instance, you should contact the provider (owner/operator) who is required to have a clear and user friendly complaints procedure.
The Care and Welfare of Residents in Designated Centres for Older People Regulations 2009 and the Authority’s standards set out what the provider should do to help residents and their relatives tell them when they are unhappy with an aspect of the service. More importantly, the Authority expects providers to understand that it is not always easy to make a complaint or to discuss concerns when in a vulnerable situation. It is up to the provider to find ways of enabling people to express concerns without fearing any consequences.
The provider has a legal duty to investigate complaints.
Notifying the Health Information and Quality Authority of a concern – what you can expect
We welcome information about any designated centre. While we do not have the power to investigate individual complaints, we do evaluate whether the information indicates non-compliance with the Health Act 2007 (Care and Welfare of Residents in Designated Centres for Older People) Regulations 2009.
Where a concern is outside our remit, such as a concern regarding funding, we will advise you of the best direction to take. The provider has a responsibility to make sure all residents are safe and properly looked after. All information received by us will be evaluated against the regulations and standards. Where residents are found to be at risk, we will take appropriate action.
Reasons residents or relatives, staff and members of the public may wish to contact the Health Information and Quality Authority?
- if you are unhappy with the way the provider received or dealt with a complaint
- if you felt unable to tell the provider of their concern
- if the concern is about the provider, him/herself
We will record the information and let the resident or relative know what the next steps will be. This depends on the seriousness of the concerns and includes one or more of the following actions:
- if it is an issue of urgency and vulnerable people may be at risk of immediate harm, we may need to notify the HSE or An Garda Síochána as appropriate
- seek further information
- carry out an unannounced inspection
- ask the provider to report on the issues outlined in the concern
- note the information to check at the next inspection
Any action carried out by the Authority as a result of information received from you, is done to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all residents. We will let you know if an inspection has been carried out and refer you to the inspection report on our website. We also welcome further information from residents and relatives informing us of improvements or further concerns.
Will my concern remain confidential?
The Authority will endeavour to hold your contact details in confidence as far as possible. While the Authority treats all information it receives sensitively, the Authority must satisfy itself that all residents and staff are protected and systems are in place to ensure this. In the course of evaluating your concern, the Authority may be required to disclose relevant details pertaining to the concern when ensuring the residents are safeguarded, that care is delivered to a high standard and that a full and accurate response can be provided by the Nursing Home or Centre’s Manager when asked to report on the issues you have raised. Furthermore, if the information results in legal action being taken, we may ask the resident or relative to make a statement or give evidence.
For more information you can read:
- Part 12 , section 39 of the Health Act 2007 (Care and Welfare of Residents in Designated Centres for Older People) Regulations 2009.
- Standard 6: Complaints, National Quality Standards for Residential Care Settings for Older People in Ireland.
Advise the Authority of a concern
Contact details if you wish to advise the Authority of a concern:
- Telephone Number: 021 240 9660
- Email: ssiconcerns@hiqa.ie
Frequently Asked Questions
Click on the appropriate links below to view the frequently asked questions
Q 1. What is the inspection and registration of nursing homes about?
From 1 July 2009, the Social Services Inspectorate within the Health Information and Quality Authority will be responsible for the registration and inspection of all public and private nursing homes and residential care services for older people. We will register and inspect to see if nursing homes are safe and that residents are being cared for properly. For the first time, HSE-run centres, as well as, private and voluntary nursing homes will be subject to independent registration and inspection.
Q 2. Do all nursing homes now have to be registered?
Yes. By law, all nursing home services in the public, private and voluntary sectors have to be registered (to ensure they are able to provide such services in the first instance) and inspected (in order to ensure they are maintaining standards required to operate and are continuously upholding high standards) by the Social Services Inspectorate of the Health Information and Quality Authority.
Q 3. Why are you conducting inspections?
Inspections occur to check that residents in nursing homes are safe and are well looked after. Inspections also provide information to residents, their families, and the general public about the standards of care in individual nursing homes. The aim of inspection is to make sure that poor services are not allowed to operate, and to support those nursing homes that provide good, person-centred care.
Q 4. Are there standards of care that homes should comply with?
Yes. The Health Information and Quality Authority has developed specific standards for the operation of nursing homes in consultation with those who use services and those who provide them. These are called the National Quality Standards for Residential Care Settings for Older People in Ireland, and they have been mandated by the Minister for Health and Children. We will be inspecting against these standards and against regulations set by the Department of Health and Children.
Q 5. Who will carry out the inspections?
Inspections will be carried out by inspectors from the Social Services Inspectorate of the Health Information and Quality Authority. All inspectors are fully trained staff of the Authority and have a wide range of relevant professional experience.
Q 6. How will your inspections be carried out?
Inspections will be announced or unannounced and will be held during the day or night. Inspectors will talk with managers, staff and interested people and also talk with residents (residents who do not wish to speak to inspectors do not have to) and their families. Inspectors will focus on the experience of the resident living in the nursing home and what it is like to live there. An inspection report will be produced by the Authority after each inspection.
Q 7. Is the inspection process totally independent of the Health Service Executive and private nursing home operators?
Yes, inspectors report to the Chief Inspector of Social Services within the Health Information Quality Authority.
Q 8. What kind of information will be contained in inspection reports?
Inspection reports will give factual information and will highlight where standards of care are well met, as well as where improvements are required. They will be published on the Authority's website. Inspection reports will give the residential care centre’s location, and outline the number of places there and general facilities. They will also outline the findings of the inspection and will comment on all areas of the service. Any necessary actions required on the part of the provider will be clearly indicated in the report. The reports will be fair and will reflect all aspects of the service that is being provided. These inspection reports will provide information to the residents themselves, their families and the general public about the standards of care in individual centres.
Q 9. Will I be able to read your inspection reports?
Inspection reports will be published on the Health Information and Quality Authority’s website, www.hiqa.ie. They will be published shortly after each inspection.
Q 10. What actions can be taken if a nursing home is not meeting your standards or the regulations?
As outlined in the Health Act 2007, we have the power to seek legal enforcement of our recommendations and sanctions in the event of non-compliance. Actions which can be taken in the interests of the residents living in the nursing home include:
- requiring that changes to the service be made and then checking that these improvements are carried out
- changing the operating conditions of that centre (the number, type or category of resident they may accommodate).
- prosecuting for offences under the Health Act 2007, such as failing to comply with a condition of registration
- cancelling registration of a centre - so it will no longer be able to operate.
If inspectors come across a situation which poses an urgent risk to residents, which the owner is unwilling or unable to correct urgently, the Authority can take emergency action to address the situation. Every effort will be made to ensure residents of nursing homes are not inconvenienced. However, if a nursing home does not comply with laws, arrangements may have to be made for residents to be moved to a different nursing home, which does comply with these laws and provides safe quality care.
Following a number of enquiries, residents of nursing homes and their relatives should note the following:
- The Department of Health and Children set the annual fee, per bed, to be paid by nursing home providers to the Authority.
- The annual fee as set out by Regulations made under the Health Act 2007 is €190 per bed.
- This fee is payable directly to the Authority by the registered provider.
- The payment of the fee is a matter between the nursing home providers and the Authority.
- The Authority has not, and can not, invoice individual residents in relation to this fee.
- The fee is not due, or payable, by individual residents or families.
- The Regulations require that residents are clearly communicated with in relation to the services they receive, this includes matters relating to charges.
- Only fees set out in the contract can be charged by the registered provider. This contract must be agreed between the resident and the service provider within one month of admission to the nursing home.
- If you have any questions directly related to the fees, please contact your registered provider or the Department of Health and Children 01 6354000. If your query relates to any other issue about the inspection process you can contact our dedicated advice line 021 2409660.