Swann challenged on claim of swift action for residents in failing Belfast care home
HEALTH minister Robin Swann has been challenged over his assertion that officials acted swiftly to protect residents at a failing care home.
A safety campaigner has written to Mr Swann to outline a series of “horrendous” failures by Clifton Nursing Home, which has been at the centre of a deadly Covid-19 outbreak, dating back to 2014. Failings uncovered by officials include residents sharing underwear; residents with dirty hair, clothes and nails; and a shortage of PPE to enable staff to provide personal care.
Julieann Mcnally has urged Mr Swann to commission a review into the care provided at Clifton Nursing Home and all other homes owned by private care provider Runwood Homes.
It comes after health bosses said they were forced to step in last week after becoming concerned for the safety of residents at the north Belfast home, where at least nine residents are known to have died with Covid-19.
Concerns have been raised over the apparent delay to intervene; however, Mr Swann has said the Belfast Trust had been working with the home for a number of weeks and action was taken at the appropriate time.
On Tuesday, Mr Swann said he had first become aware of the seriousness of concerns around Clifton Nursing Home in north Belfast last week.
However, Ms Mcnally has said in a letter to the UUP MLA: “Care home campaigners and families have been speaking out about Runwood Homes care homes in Northern Ireland for many years.
“The most recent action at Clifton Nursing Home was inevitable. I would say it was a certainty to happen.
“Runwood Homes has 12 care homes in Northern Ireland and the RQIA have raised serious concerns and taken enforcement action at nine of those care homes. That is a disgrace and unacceptable.”
Ms Mcnally also referred to the findings of an investigation into the care provided at Dunmurry Manor, now known as Oak Tree Manor. The probe by the Commissioner for Older People in Northern Ireland (COPNI) was published in 2018 and was highly critical of Runwood.
The firm’s CEO, Gordon Sanders, subsequently criticised the report and described cases of neglect as “isolated”.
However, in her letter to Mr Swann, Ms Mcnally also said that since the publication of the COPNI report, the RQIA has taken enforcement action against three Runwood Homes’ facilities.
“You will also be aware that the RQIA closed Runwood’s Ashbrooke facility in Enniskillen in 2017 but have since allowed them to reopen it under a different name,” she added.
“Two weeks after the Dunmurry Manor report was published, Runwood Homes were in trouble again with the RQIA for Clifton Nursing Home. The RQIA required Runwood to attend a serious concerns meeting on July 4, 2018 about Clifton.
“The Belfast Trust wrote a damning letter to Clifton Nursing Home on June 27, 2018, highlighting 18 areas of concern. One of which was that the home had no washing powder.
“The Belfast Trust has continually raised concerns about Clifton Nursing Home to the RQIA. Whistleblowers have continually raised concerns about Clifton Nursing Home to the RQIA.
Since 2014 there has not been one year where serious concerns were not raised about Clifton Nursing Home.
“I would like you to commission an investigation into the care provided at Runwood Homes care homes in Northern Ireland since 2014.
“This of course would look at the significant recent failings at Clifton. We must act to change the culture of care in Northern Ireland.”
The Department of Health did not respond to a request for comment by time of going to press.
❝ Since 2014 there has not been one year where serious concerns were not raised about Clifton home