New nursing home regulations will offer 'enhanced protections', says Hiqa
Under the new rules, registered nursing homes must ensure there is a designated 'person in charge' in possession of a minimum level administrative qualification.
The Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) has welcomed the implementation of new nursing home regulations as representing a “significant change” in terms of supporting residents and ensuring better governance at the institutions.
The new regulations, which take effect from Monday, aim to establish new norms in terms of resident visitor access and governance responsibility, notably in times of societal stress, such as during a pandemic.
Under the new rules, registered nursing homes must ensure there is a designated 'person in charge' in possession of a minimum level administrative qualification.
All nursing homes must also have a written visitors’ policy and a procedure in place for any health pandemic which may come to pass, including the provision of a nominated support person who may visit a resident at all times, including during an instance of a communicable disease outbreak.
The new regulations are heavily influenced by the experience of the health service during covid-19, when nursing homes were among the worst-affected institutions during the early stages of the pandemic.
Along with overhauling visitor access and minimum governance standards, the regulations will also provide that residents are allowed to communicate freely and have access to the internet during any health-related crisis.
Hiqa deputy chief inspector of social services Susan Cliffe said the new regulations will provide “enhanced protections” for older, vulnerable residents in nursing homes in order to support them in living “active and fulfilling lives where their human rights are protected and promoted and in settings that are local”.
“Covid-19 placed an extraordinary burden on residents, their families and those working within nursing homes. The new regulations reflect learnings from the pandemic including the need to minimise risks through better measures to minimise the risk of infection and to balance this with residents’ rights to maintain contact with their family,” Ms Cliffe said, adding that in strengthening governance requirements the sector would be placed on a better funding to manage future crises.
“Ultimately, better governance is our best way of managing future health risks and meet residents’ needs,” she said.
Nursing Homes Ireland chief executive Tadhg Daly also welcomed the reforms.
“What they’re doing is putting into legislation many things that are already written in the national equality standards,” Mr Daly said.
“They will ensure that even in an outbreak situation, people will be facilitated to visit their loved ones,” he said.
Mr Daly added that the new regulations — while providing “comfort and certainty” for residents — will also “take away the subjectivity of nursing home inspections”.
“We very much welcome their commencement,” he said.
