The government announced on Tuesday 8 March a “extensive plan of control” of the 7,500 French nursing homes in two years, to prevent abuse. This plan “will start with the nursing homes that have been reported and will be accompanied by a long-term and significant strengthening of the human resources of the regional health agencies dedicated to controls”said the State Secretariat for Autonomy. He also promised the creation of a “device mediation at the service of residents, families and professionals in the event of a dispute”as well as strengthening the involvement of families and residents “in the daily operation of nursing homes”.
This announcement comes after the scandal caused by the publication of the book-investigation The Gravediggers, reporting mistreatment in establishments of the Orpea group. In this group, “The human is not the subject, and the approach is industrial. Profitability, how is it possible in the care and management of sick people?“, asked France 3 Patrick Métais, one of the company’s former executives. According to him, Orpea’s policy is clear: “earn more money by spending less”.
“We cannot accept exposing an entire sector to the doubts of the French, especially when the structures receive public money”said the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran during a trip to a public Ehpad in Fontenay-sous-Bois (Val-de-Marne). “To recreate trust, we want total transparency”he added.
To this end, the 7,500 retirement homes (public, associative or private for-profit) will have to publish each year on the “For-the-elderly” site a scale of ten indicators, including their prices, the daily budget allocated at meals, or even staff supervision and absenteeism rates. Companies will also have to transmit and “explain” transactions between institutions and groups. Objective: to prevent them from earning money on the public grants they receive for care and dependency.
A trade unionist denounces “measurements”
“It is off the mark”, reacted on franceinfo Guillaume Gobet, CGT union representative of the Ehpad sector of the Orpea group. “The controls existed in these establishments, they were not used for much”deplores the union official who speaks of “scoops”.
More than a month after the revelations of cases of abuse against the elderly, the unions are calling on nursing home staff to strike on Tuesday. They demand an increase in wages and the taking into account of hardship.