INDEPENDENT INSPECTIONS and care standards for professional home carers should be introduced to help protect against abuse and mistreatment, according to a Law Reform Commission consultation paper.
At present there is no regulation of such services despite the fact that thousands of older people receive professional assistance to allow them to live independently at home.
In contrast, the domiciliary care sector is heavily regulated in the UK and other jurisdictions.
A Law Reform Commission consultation paper on the issue, to be published today, says the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) should be empowered to regulate and monitor professional home carers.
These standards should be tailored for homecare settings, building on existing standards for nursing homes. They should ensure that care is provided in a manner that promotes the wellbeing and independence of clients.
Overall, the report warns that a failure to regulate services can lead to inconsistencies in terms of service quality and delivery and the potential for abuse.
It says that health authorities dealt with more than 1,800 cases of alleged abuse of older people last year, of which 85 per cent occurred in the home.
In a series of recommendations aimed at promoting high quality home help services and making these services more affordable, the report says:
* Terms and conditions of home care arrangements should be agreed and recorded in a care contract.
* This contract should contain clear policies and procedures in relation to the handling by the carer of money and personal property of the client.
* Tax relief for fees should be extended to a person in meeting the cost of professional home care.
The commission report invites submissions as to whether a subvention arrangement, comparable to the “Fair Deal” scheme for nursing homes, should be extended to professional home care. Under this scheme, nursing home residents may be charged after their death for up to 15 per cent of the value of their home and assets.
In addition, the report invites submissions on the question of whether to extend “whistleblower” protection to people who report concerns about possible abuse. The Protection of Persons Reporting Child Abuse Act 1998 does not apply to homecare at present.
A specific register of professional home carers, which could be operated by Hiqa, setting out the specific requirements in relation to the registration and monitoring of professional domiciliary carers, is also worth exploring, the report says.
The report says it has been suggested that the regulation of the homecare sector could have negative consequences for care workers, by restricting their ability to perform certain duties beyond their job description. However, it says a balance must be struck between protecting vulnerable older persons and maintaining the unique relationship that can exist between carer and client.