There are "reasonable grounds for concern" in relation to the alleged physical or sexual abuse of 21 past or current residents at a HSE nursing home.

That is one of the findings of the HSE Safeguarding Team and the National Independent Review Panel (NIRP), which carried out separate reviews following the assault of a resident in the home in 2020.

A nursing home resident known as 'Mr Z' was sentenced to 11 years in prison for raping a nursing home resident known only as 'Emily'.

The concerns for physical and sexual abuse were reported to Gardaí and safeguard measures have since been put in place in the home. 

It also found there were concerns over the alleged psychological abuse of two residents. These were managed by the HSE under safeguarding plans.

The HSE said it plans to implement all the recommendations of the reviews, including increased safeguarding training for all staff.

Safeguarding expert

Today, HSE CEO Bernard Gloster said an external safeguarding expert, Jackie McIlroy, has been appointed to review both reports and make her own enquiries into the nursing home.

Ms McIlroy will also decide whether further examination of individual records is needed to identify past harm and make recommendations to improve care standards.

Mr Gloster once again apologised to the family of 'Emily', saying she experienced the greatest harm in a place where she should have felt safe. 

The NIRP also previously reported other female residents had made allegations against Mr Z in the past, but they were not believed and the accusations were not investigated at the time.