Equality Not Care, a grassroots lobby group, initially founded to campaign against the care referendum and led by several people with disabilities, older people, family members and advocates has launched a new campaign called ‘Equality Not Cruelty’.

The new campaign is focussed on the urgent reform of HIQA and ensuring that ill treatment and violations of dignity, respect and care in residential nursing homes never happen again.

Spokesperson for the campaign, Dr. Margaret Kennedy says they have come together with renewed focus in the wake of the recent ‘RTE investigates’ nursing home scandal.

Dr. Kennedy says “All of us feel great fear. We have totally lost confidence in HIGA and the HSE to safeguard elderly people and those with disabilities, be they in the community or in nursing homes”.

She says: “What we witnessed in the RTE programme was horrifying but not unexpected. Many of us have feared or experienced cruelty, disrespect and abandonment within residential settings. This broadcast only served to confirm our long-held concerns.

It also marked a crucial turning point; we will no longer tolerate inane lame explanations, excuses or silence. The time for change is now.

The whole country voiced its utter horror, disgust and dismay at what RTE highlighted.

The spectre of vulnerable people, who did all they could in their lives to work and build up this state being treated in such a cruel, uncaring and undignified manner was truly shocking and people were rightly outraged.

However, this has to be harnessed into real action for real change, real accountability and real care, otherwise gross abuses of vulnerable people will happen again and that would be an additional shame and stain on our country”.

Dr. Kennedy continues “We were dismayed that the CEO of HIQA, who appeared before the Oireachtas Committee recently broadly apologised, but really it fell short. This is astounding and we believe it is deeply telling. It reflects a broader lack of accountability that must be addressed without any further and undue delay.

We will not rest until HIQA openly addresses our most pressing concerns. It has an inalienable duty of care to the people in its charge, and anything less is a gross dereliction of duty.

There are still more questions than answers and we are demanding full disclosure from HIQA.

We have several pressing concerns – For instance- What immediate steps is HIQA taking to ensure that residents are protected from all forms of abuse in services under its remit

What was the nature of the 198 abuse reports at Beneavin Manor and the 40 at The Residence in Portlaoise. Were families informed in each case?”.

“We find it incredible that services can be classified as ‘compliant’ while facing such high volumes of allegations of abuse. It leads us to strongly question what compliant means in practice. We also want to know if a memorandum of understanding with the Gardai has now been finalised.

“The trauma for the residents of these homes, and by extension for their families is immense and we still don’t know if the residents have been offered counselling and if they are now provided with clear accessible information about how to report abuse or concerns? This is an absolute minimum”.

“We are asking the Board of HIQA to respond fully to our concerns and to do so in writing. The public trust in HIQA’s role in this country has been profoundly shaken. Restoring it will require transparency, reform and accountability”.