MOH to review nursing home industry
The Ministry of Health will be conducting a review of the nursing home industry, following the telecast of a video recording that showed an elderly resident being mistreated in Nightingale Nursing Home.
The elderly resident, Peh Siew Lay, 75, was apparently left unclothed and sitting under a fan for about 30 minutes. She was later flung onto her bed and slapped on the mouth when she groaned.
Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, who was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a health event on Saturday, was quoted by The Sunday Times as saying, "It is an opportunity for us to learn and take a more holistic view of the various processes we have in place to see whether there is room for improvement to prevent a recurrence. This is an important lesson for the ministry."
Specifically on Nightingale Nursing Home, which has been in operations for about 30 years, Minster Gan said the ministry has stepped up surveillance of the home and will do so for a period of time.
He said, "We will continue to monitor but if we are not satisfied with the performance, the ministry will take necessary action against the nursing home."
He also said there was no delay in investigations.
"After completing our investigations, we also wanted to give an opportunity to the nursing home to conduct their own investigations and explain their actions," he said. "What is important to us is the safety and well-being of the patients, which was why we immediately suspended the nursing home."
MOH receives feedback and complaints about nursing homes 12 to 15 times a year, mostly about rude staff or unsatisfactory care.
Meanwhile, the management team of Nightingale Nursing Home will also be meeting family members over the weekend, reported the same paper. Some have contacted the home for an explanation over the incident but none have pulled residents out after the incident.
A spokesman said, "We want to explain the incident to them and to allay their fears."
"We are also getting feedback from them about our service and letting them air their concerns so we can address any issues they have," he added. He declined to reveal the number of residents the home has, although it can take up to 100 residents.
The home is suspended from admitting new patients until further notice.
For reports of breach in care delivery or standards, the public can call the MOH hotline at 1800-225 4122.
