Kilkenny TD seeks safeguards for people living in nursing and care homes

The Sinn Féin Spokesperson for Older People, Natasha Newsome Drennan TD, has this week, alongside Dáil colleagues David Cullinane TD and Matt Carthy TD, submitted legislation to establish long-overdue protections for people living in nursing homes and care facilities.

The Criminal Law (Adult Safeguarding) Bill 2026 was submitted into the Dáil to create specific criminal offences and strengthen oversight for the care sector.

Deputy Newsome Drennan said:

“We have seen scandal after scandal showing vulnerable older people being left without basic care due to inadequate supplies of essential items like bedsheets, towels, sanitary wipes, and gloves. We all remember the horrific footage from the Prime Time special last year, which showed elderly [1]people being subject to harsh treatment, isolation, and abandonment. No person in car should ever have to endure such abuse.

“Better regulation, oversight, and adult safeguarding legislation have been long overdue. Experts, including the Irish Association of Social Workers, have been demanding this for years, as has Sinn Féin. We need mandatory reporting of abuse and neglect, along with a legal right of entry for social care teams to investigate individual complaints.

“HIQA regulations alone are not enough. We cannot dismiss abuse or neglect, nor adopt an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ approach. Our elderly citizens deserve the highest quality of care and to be kept safe from harm.

“This Bill will create specific criminal offences to protect those who require care and who may be unable to protect themselves from abuse, neglect, exploitation, or coercive control. It provides for penalties, court orders prohibiting certain offenders from working in care, publicity orders for convicted providers, and anonymity protections for victims.

“The privatisation of nursing home care cannot come at the expense of quality. This Bill will ensure greater accountability. We need to tip the balance back in favour of public capacity, underpinned by robust regulations and strong safeguarding protections.

“We also need to invest in public nursing home capacity. Over 70% of nursing home beds are now in private facilities—a situation facilitated by successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael governments.

“It is the duty of any government to keep all citizens safe and protected from harm.”