LISTEN: Inquiry urged after mass resignations at care homes watchdog

You are viewing content from Q North West 102.9. Would you like to make this your preferred location?

By Rebecca Black, PA

An inquiry has been called for after resignations at the board of the watchdog which inspects care homes in Northern Ireland.

The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) has played a key role in the struggle with coronavirus over recent months.

Nine board members resigned over claims they were not consulted on key decisions taken during the pandemic.

Older People's commissioner Eddie Lynch called for an inquiry, saying the development "really couldn't come at a worse time".

He described it as a "major incident" and urged Health Minister Robin Swann to take steps to "assure the families their loved ones are being protected".

"I do think there needs to be an investigation of some sort, some sort of inquiry that looks at what has happened over the past three to four months," he said.

"There have clearly been a number of issues, particularly around care homes, that have been deeply disturbing.

"Now that some of the details of what has been happening behind the scenes have come out, I do think that the need for such an inquiry is growing by the day."

Amnesty International UK, the Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) and the trade union Unison have also called for a public inquiry into the handling of Covid-19 in care and nursing homes in Northern Ireland.

Unison regional secretary Patricia McKeown said: "There is an urgent need for any lessons learned to be acted on immediately, and this includes investigating the concerns behind the unprecedented resignation of the entire RQIA board."

Northern Ireland's chief scientific officer, Professor Ian Young, said the decision to reduce care home inspections was made across the UK to minimise the amount of infection introduced into them.

"Obviously, a great deal of consideration was given to balance the purpose of people coming in, and the risk of people coming in, and that really was a policy decision rather than a scientific one," he told the BBC.

Meanwhile, Stormont junior minister Gordon Lyons told the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Select Committee at Westminster that the Executive "wants to make sure it gets to the bottom" of the resignations.

Earlier, Mr Lynch described the RQIA as having a "very important role", not just in care homes but across the health service.

"Many many thousands of vulnerable older people are reliant on the RQIA doing their job robustly, ensuring that those standards are in place," he told the BBC.

"The minister really has to move swiftly now to assure families that the systems in place are adequate to make sure that those standards are reached and loved ones protected."

Mr Swann earlier this week expressed regret at the resignations.

"I will be considering the position of further interim appointments over the coming days," he said.

"It is a matter of regret that a number of former board members decided to resign at this most difficult time."

Home residents have been most vulnerable to Covid-19. A total of 186 deaths have been in residential or care homes.

Mr Swann added: "I fully appreciate that this has been an extremely challenging period for everyone across the health and social care system.

"I believe the reasons cited for the resignations could have been addressed to the satisfaction of all concerned and I would place on record my thanks for their service."

The minister has appointed Christine Collins as the new interim chairwoman.

An RQIA spokesman said changes to the board membership have no impact on its day-to-day work.

The spokesman said: "We are grateful to our staff for their continued commitment to delivering on RQIA's priorities.

"Throughout this time our staff have worked tirelessly and consistently with colleagues across the health and social care system, as an integral part of the regional response to support services during the Covid-19 pandemic."

More from Q Radio Local News


Join the Thank Q Club

Sign up for the Thank Q Club and receive exclusive offers, fun competitions and amazing prizes - it's quick and easy to do!

Sign Up Log In

Listen on the go

Download the Q Radio app to keep listening, wherever you are! It's available on Apple and Android devices.

Download from the App Store Download from Google Play