HIQA has again apologised to people who feel the agency let them down after revelations about neglect and staff shortages in two nursing homes run by Emeis Ireland.
On 5 June, RTÉ Investigates revealed disturbing footage of older people being neglected at two homes, owned by the same for-profit company - The Residence in Portlaoise and Beneavin Manor in Glasnevin in Dublin.
Health Information and Quality Authority CEO Angela Fitzgerald told the Public Accounts Committee this morning that it is taking regulatory action in the nursing homes featured in the programme.
In her opening statement, she said HIQA is working with the Department of Health to look at areas where the regulatory and policy framework for nursing homes can be strengthened.
The last time HIQA was before the PAC was in September 2017.
An interim report by HIQA outlined the regulatory history of the 25 centres within the Emeis group, and detailed how it had to place restrictions on the operation of seven as they failed to comply with regulations.
Earlier this month, HIQA said that Emeis Ireland had paused admissions to all the homes it runs.
HIQA told the PAC that in the past 18 months, it has got extended regulatory powers in public hospitals and nursing homes, and also enabling it to monitor private hospitals.
It is also conducting a statutory review, at the request of the Minister for Health, on whether a second emergency department is needed in the Mid-West region.
In her opening statement, Ms Fitzgerald said she wanted to reiterate her "deepest concerns" about what was shown in the RTÉ Investigates programme.
She said: "The conduct of staff and the behaviours witnessed were wholly unacceptable in any circumstance."
Ms Fitzgerald said residents in nursing homes have a "right to be taken care of with dignity and respect".
She said that "fundamentally, what we witnessed constituted a breach of basic human rights which can never be condoned."
HIQA Deputy Chief Inspector with responsibility for services for Older Persons Susan Cliffe told the PAC that 22 of the 25 Emeis-run nursing homes in Ireland have been inspected since the RTÉ Investigates programme aired.
A further number of inspections were completed yesterday evening, she clarified, which brings an earlier figure of 16 homes inspected up to 22.
There are plans in place to inspect the other three homes, she said.
Ms Cliffe said that one Emeis-run nursing home has been inspected twice since the report aired last month.
Later asked if this was the only home which needed a second inspection, she said: "so far".
The PAC was also told that HIQA has a staff now of 450, an increase from 364 in 2023.
In 2023, it got over €38.3m in funding.
This was broken down as: €23m in Department of Health funding, over €7m in in annual fees and registration fees from providers of registered services, plus over €7m in grants from Government departments and public bodies for specific programmes of work.
