Reports into nursing homes where there is evidence of physical or psychological abuse should be published as a matter of urgency, Age Action Ireland has said.
The organisation has expressed concern that investigations by the Health Service Executive (HSE) in 2005 and 2006, which revealed incidents of residents being assaulted, restrained, over-sedated or allowed to wander from a number of public or private homes, were not made public.
The information was contained in internal reports. The nursing homes in question were not named by the HSE and there is no information about them in official reports.
Age Action also said the public was not told that admissions to some of the nursing homes criticised by the HSE had been suspended. Age Action spokesman Eamon Timmins said: "Age Action is concerned at the lack of transparency within the HSE when it comes to telling the public what is happening within our nursing homes.
"This information is vital for families trying to select a nursing home and to home residents and families with relatives in homes.
"It is also important to reassure the public that the HSE is investigating all complaints and ensuring that everything is being done to protect one of the most vulnerable sections of society."
He added: "If closure orders against chip shops and restaurants can be published, then surely the findings of a nursing home inspection can be made public."
A spokesman for the HSE said the current nursing home legislation did not allow for the publication of such information. He said the publication of nursing home reports would be examined as part of forthcoming legislation which will see the inspection of nursing homes transferred from the HSE to the Health Information and Quality Authority.
He also said that any allegation of abuse was investigated and acted upon by the HSE up to and including court action.
Meanwhile, HSE inspectors expressed concern about safety regulations in a nursing home from where a resident with Alzheimer's disease disappeared without a trace.
Maura Reynolds (78) left the Tara Care Centre in Bray, Co Wicklow, on Christmas Day in 2005 and has not been seen since.
Last month Paul and Ann Costello, the proprietors of the centre, were fined €2,000 after pleading guilty to failing to ensure sufficient care for the welfare and well-being of dependent people in the home.
In an inspection completed in November 2006, inspectors expressed "serious concern about the breaches of the safety regulations and also the high number of falls documented since our last inspection".
However, a follow-up report in June 2007 noted that all issues identified had been satisfactorily addressed. Nobody from the Tara Care Centre was available to comment last night.
