the controls of the 9,300 medico-social establishments will be “especially unannounced”, assures the minister

The Minister for Elderly and Disabled People unveiled on Monday her strategy against violence and neglect at home and in medico-social establishments.

Fadila Khattabi, Minister Delegate for Elderly and Disabled People, announced Monday March 25 on franceinfo “a major control plan for all 9,300 establishments which accommodate people with disabilities” who will understand “especially unannounced checks”. By launching a wave of checks in medico-social establishments, the minister wishes to check whether the “recommendations of the High Authority of Health are applied and well respected”in terms of “hygiene” and of “security”notably.

The minister revealed on franceinfo her plan against violence against vulnerable people. It includes in particular a strengthening of controls of reception structures. It extends over three years and takes up some of the proposals made by the associations during the “General States of Mistreatment” which were held in 2023, following the Orpea nursing home scandal.

50,000 unfilled positions

M6’s “Zone Interdite” magazine broadcast an investigation on Sunday, “Scandals and state failure: the dark files of disability”, highlighting the mistreatment suffered by people with disabilities. Fadila Khattabi judged “extremely shocking” the M6 ​​channel’s report on failures in disability care. “I completely understand the pain and anger of families and parents”she reacted.

“We know that there is mistreatment in establishments. However, let us be careful not to anathema an entire sector. There are people who are committed, dedicated, invested and who work with people in vulnerable situations.”

Fadila Khattabi, Minister Delegate for the Elderly and People with Disabilities

at franceinfo

The issue of mistreatment in medical-social establishments is “also due to major recruitment issues”explains the minister, “it’s a sector that is in tension”, she clarified. According to Nexem, the professional organization representing employers in the private non-profit social, medico-social and health sector, 50,000 positions in the sector are not filled out of 850,000 in total.

Furthermore, 150,000 employees in the medical-social sector will retire in 2025. To respond to this challenge, the Minister Delegate in charge of the Elderly and People with Disabilities is working, with Catherine Vautrin, the Minister of Labor, to “promote these social connection professions which are essential to support people in vulnerable situations”, she assured. But the low salaries in the sector do not attract many candidates. The minister hopes that the negotiations around the collective agreement will “to achieve”. According to her, “the aim is to revalorize low salaries in particular”.

Faced with mistreatment against vulnerable people, Fadila Khattabi praises the responsiveness of the Regional Health Agencies. “As soon as there are reports, alerts, the Regional Health Agency goes immediately” in the establishments concerned, she assures.

Saturated educational medical institutes

In the M6 ​​report, a journalist, posing as a high school graduate with no knowledge of disability, is hired as a Supporter for Students with Disabilities (AESH) without prior training: “I denounce it. It’s absolutely scandalous. Training, normally, is compulsory”, she reacted. Fadila Khattabi assures that she “will share” as of Monday to the Minister of Education Nicole Belloubet.

Emmanuel Macron launched a major catch-up plan, called the “50,000 solutions” to the tune of 1.5 billion, “to try to meet the needs of families”, recalls the minister. Families of people with disabilities are faced with a lack of space in structures. The educational medical institutes which normally welcome children are totally saturated. “The top priority is to get the 10,000 adults who are in EMIs out” due to lack of space elsewhere.

Fadila Khattabi also wishes to develop “collaborative work between National Education and the medico-social sector” to “ensure that IMEs also integrate the school of the Republic”. Furthermore, the minister is launching a mission from the General Inspectorate of Social Affairs and Health (Igas) which will be responsible for verifying “if the orientation of children in EMIs is relevant”. According to her, there is “children who could go directly to the Republic school and not be in IME”.