The Irish Independent’s View: Sweeping reforms of nursing-home care must be prioritised

However, when those being let down so badly are some of the most vulnerable people in our country, this is unacceptable.

When confronted over the “scandalous” treatment of older people in privately run nursing homes, as revealed by RTÉ, Taoiseach Micheál Martin replied that he had “no issue” with bigger fines being imposed. The question mark left hanging in the air was: Why are greater fines for abuses not already in place?

Today's News in 90 seconds - 19th June 2025

Mr Martin must surely recognise that when you are charged with running a country and are confronted by serious failures, it is you who has responsibility to not only prevent such breaches, but to ensure they do not happen again.

Faith in the level of state concern for the welfare and protection of older people has been undermined. If it is to be repaired, we need to see tougher measures to guarantee standards of care are being taken seriously and will be rigorously upheld.

Where there ought to have been zero tolerance, we have instead seen too many betrayals of trust when it comes to maintaining safeguards for older people in care.

As pointed out by Sinn Féin’s health spokesperson David Cullinane, 75pc of Ireland’s nursing homes are privately run. He was correct to say that “older people are being failed”.

Old age is not a disease – it is strength and survivorship

It will also trouble many to learn that Hiqa – the regulator for nursing homes – does not have the “far-reaching powers” it needs to deal with the private firms that run them. Its chief, Angela Fitzgerald, told the Oireachtas Committee on Health that the watchdog can only direct individual providers to do something and that it does not have “powers” to direct companies.

Also addressing the committee, junior minister Kieran O’Donnell said he too had “concerns” about the increasing privatisation of the nursing-home sector. He said it was his hope that further safeguards would be brought forward “as a matter of urgency”.

One has to wonder why, two decades after the appalling revelations concerning abuses of the elderly at Leas Cross, there could be any lack of enforcement measures to make all those involved in nursing-home care accountable for mistreatment of any kind.

Given that the entire landscape has been transformed with the predominance of private-care concerns, it is extraordinary that stringent enforcement controls were not also put in place.

Sweeping reform of regulations and standards must be prioritised if trust is to be restored.

American activist Maggie Kuhn, who founded the Gray Panthers movement to campaign for older people, said: “Old age is not a disease – it is strength and survivorship, triumph over all kinds of vicissitudes and disappointments, trials and illnesses.”

After a lifetime’s service, older people surely should not have to battle their own State for their basic rights.