ELDERLY people could be at risk in both public and private nursing homes, warns a major Scrutiny review following a number of complaints about the standard of care.
And many families say they are fearful that care of their loved ones will suffer if they pursue complaints, the review has revealed. The Health, Social Security and Housing Scrutiny panel have concluded that a whistle-blowing system is needed so that people feel confident making complaints.
Fears have also been expressed that staff working in independent residential and nursing homes cannot be police-checked and that the care of the elderly could be at risk because of their vulnerability. While gathering evidence for a review into the long-term care of the elderly, the panel became aware of a number of cases where patients in both public and private care homes had reported unsatisfactory experiences regarding their own or relatives’ care.
The panel became so concerned from information they received about two cases that they have asked Health and Social Services to carry out an investigation. Panel lead member Deputy Roy Le Hérissier (pictured) told the JEP: ‘We met with Health and Social Services to discuss them and hope to have a follow-up meeting. For reasons of data protection and personal privacy I cannot discuss them in any detail. Suffice to say, family members thought their loved ones were not receiving the proper care.’
