Care home horror as residents strapped into chair & slapped
Report reveals shocking abuse & neglect
A resident suffered a fracture & a displaced bone HIQA COMPLAINT REPORT 2019
A NURSING home resident was left strapped to a chair all day and only released for toilet breaks, a damning report has revealed.
A litany of abuse and neglect of frail and elderly residents has been exposed in reports released under the Freedom of Information Act.
A shocking 426 complaints about nursing home care were logged by the Health Information and Quality Authority in the first 10 months of last year.
They paint a picture of extreme distress for some elderly residents with claims of falls, malnutrition, sitting in soiled clothing and being restrained against their will.
One of the most disturbing complaints related to a pensioner who had suffered a fracture several years ago.
It said: “The resident is strapped into a chair throughout the day and is only released for toileting. The [concerned person] has also witnessed another resident strapped in the same manner without release.” Another claim outlined “unexplained bruising and restraint”.
One person raising a complaint had “numerous concerns” in relation to their relative’s care, reporting: “Service user was totally dehydrated and lost [redacted amount] stone in weight.” In February, a complainant railed against the lack of respect or dignity shown to a resident “left in soiled and dirty clothing”.
Another in the same month revealed the “resident’s soiled pads are not changed for hours”, adding: “The centre is generally filthy and there is a malodour that is unpleasant.”
In January, a complaint stated: “Resident was left in a hoist for hours. A shower was provided every two weeks as there was [not] enough showers in the centre. The resident was often left in wet clothes.”
The same complaint disturbingly noted: “The dispensing of medication was not supervised, and the resident’s tablets were often found on the ground underneath the bed.”
Another complaint about “poor hygiene” in rooms of dementia residents revealed “curtains not opened during the day” while there was “faeces on resident’s bedroom floor” and “no paper towels in bathrooms”.
An August report stated how “proper toiletries are not used to clean residents after they soil themselves”.
It added: “Instead, staff will use a towel the resident uses on their face and hands and place it back on the stand. Residents are left in soiled pads and are not changed for hours. Suffer with infections because of this poor practice.”
In January, a concerned person’s relative admitted to hospital from their nursing home was “diagnosed with malnutrition, dehydration and bad pressure sores”.
In relation to physical abuse, it was reported one nursing home resident was “slapped in face by a carer”. Another detailed how a “Service User suffered a fracture and displaced bone. Care staff are unable to explain how service user received the injury”. In a statement, the Health Information and Quality Authority insisted its aim is to advance high quality and safe care for people accessing health and social care services in Ireland. It said: “HIQA does not have a remit to investigate individual complaints, however, all unsolicited information, which can be received from anyone concerned about a centre is used to inform the authority’s monitoring of each residential centre.” It added that where HIQA has concerns related to the safety of residents and quality of care, providers are required to take immediate action to address this with HIQA inspectors ensuring actions are implemented. news@irishmirror.ie