The rape of a nursing home resident by a healthcare worker and allegations by other residents of sexual assault by the same man is “hugely distressing and shocking”, the Taoiseach has said.
Leo Varadkar said it was something that “strikes terror into the heart of anyone living in a nursing home”, as well as in their family.
Mr Varadkar told the Dáil on Wednesday: “These are supposed to be safe places. They almost always are safe places. But in this case that clearly was not the case.”
He added: “We can only at this time unreservedly apologise, condemn what happened, and do all we can to ensure that safeguarding for all people in alternative care is at the highest level possible.”
He said a safeguarding expert from overseas will be appointed to help the Government in improving care standards at nursing homes.
It comes after an unpublished report by the National Independent Review Panel suggested a sexual assault at a HSE-run facility in 2020 was not a one-off event.
A healthcare assistant, named as 'Mr Z' in the report, was jailed for 11 years for the rape of resident known only as Emily, but the review found previous allegations made against him were not followed up on.
RTÉ reported that Mr Z’s criminal behaviour only came to light as a result of the cognitive clarity, emotional strength and bravery of Emily, who died in 2021.
It reported that the NIRP report found that when female residents made allegations against Mr Z in the past, they were not believed and the allegations were not followed up on.
'Massive response' needed
The chairperson of the National Association of Social Workers, Vivian Geiran, said “a massive response” was required – starting at political level.
There was a “real problem” with recognising and reporting abuse in care settings, he told RTÉ radio’s News at One. “What it boils down to is ageism.”
There was not a priority for people living in care homes, Mr Geiran said. People who carried out abuse, especially sexual abuse, were skilled in overcoming any barriers in their way, he warned.
“They use the system’s inadequacies to enable them to carry out their abuse. And clearly, most people who are in care settings, are very well cared for. But the numbers we've seen over the years, both in terms of the details emerging and the Emily case and previous reports like the Brandon Report are less attractive and are really concerning and the time has come. It's past the time to be complaining about it. Government and others really need to act in terms of legislation on making appropriate structural changes.”
Mr Geiran pointed out that last year his organisation had called for adult safeguarding legislation including a system of mandatory reporting as is the position with cases involving children.
“The system at the moment is too loose and it is failing people who either have been abused or are at risk of being abused.”
The culture in nursing homes and within the HSE was not serving social workers well, he added. Some 80 per cent of people living in care homes live in private establishments and as such social workers do not have a legal right of access to those homes.
“I'm certainly not saying that social workers have all the answers. There is a lot of learning to be done by us as much as anyone else, but there really needs a thorough examination and the possibility of real learning and also action to change those structures.”
