Almost a year after the publication of the book-investigation The Gravediggersdenouncing situations of abuse in these nursing homes, the Orpea group announced a transformation plan on Tuesday, November 15. “It’s the least we can expect after everything that’s happened”, declares on franceinfo Claudette Brialix, president of the National Federation of Associations for the Elderly in Institutions and their Families (Fnapaef). The Orpea group announces in particular that it wants “to retain” its staff and invest in continuous training, in order to ensure “better quality” care.
franceinfo: Is it a good thing that the group announces a “transformation” and “transparency”?
Claudette Brialix: It can only be a good thing, after all that has happened and all the observations that have been made, I would say that it is the least we can expect. When I hear they talk about improving the reporting platform, allow me to smile, because when a family wanted to report, they ran into so many roadblocks. That would mean that there is a desire, I hope real, for a profound change in corporate culture and in the core business.
Do you welcome these measures with caution?
Yes, because unfortunately, these are not the first times when many promises are made and the means are not necessarily there. It is true that there will be, on the staffing issues, real difficulties in recruiting. Why don’t they stay? There have probably been abuses of fixed-term contracts and insufficient pay, but above all staff need a favorable working climate.
“There is a profound change in corporate culture that must take place and not only at Orpéa.”
Claudette Brialix, president of the Fnapaefat franceinfo
Do the signals sent by Orpea seem satisfactory to you?
There is a missing signal, which is that the accommodation prices charged by Orpea and the private sector in general are extremely high. It lacks in my opinion the aspect of moderation of accommodation rates. Admittedly, energy and food prices are rising, but Orpea had plenty of leeway in terms of accommodation prices. Nothing has been said to that effect.
The group evokes a track of smaller retirement homes, does that seem judicious to you?
Absolutely, that’s something we’re in tune with. We are looking for small establishments, because the bigger the establishment, the more limited the close human relationship. We must rethink the reception methods. I think that we must also effectively rethink the capacity of establishments to reduce them to a scale that allows for a more favorable human relationship.
Do you ask for stage points from the group?
You must follow. We talk a lot about Orpea, but there are other private groups which unfortunately have the same practices and are not called into question. There must also be a more in-depth look on the part of the public authorities. It was said that there would be reinforced controls, in particular financial, so that is good. All this now has to prove itself and the public authorities also have to stick to it.