During 2015 the Ombudsman’s jurisdiction was extended to allow for independent oversight of private nursing homes. The Ombudsman could already examine complaints about public nursing homes and HSE schemes such as the Nursing Homes Support Scheme (‘Fair Deal’). However, from 24 August 2015 the Ombudsman could accept complaints from, or on behalf of, residents in private nursing homes, about actions that occurred on or after that date.

Late last year the Ombudsman Peter Tyndall met with the Joint Committee on Public Petitions to discuss his Office’s experience of examining Nursing Home complaints. Following the meeting we have produced a special Nursing Home Casebook which summarises some of the complaints we have examined about the nursing home sector.