SP asks minister why inspectorate did not act on Utrecht care home neglect

SP MP Sarah Dobbe filed parliamentary questions on 15 October to the minister of Langdurige Zorg, Jeugd en Sport (long-term care, youth and sport) about reported neglect at the Tamarinde care home in Utrecht's Overvecht district.

Dobbe asks how elderly people can go a year without a shower with no one intervening. She also asks why the health and youth care inspectorate (IGJ) did not step in after the notifications it received. The inspectorate has received seven notifications about Tamarinde since the start of last year, it said.

Careyn, the care provider that runs Tamarinde, says it has known about relatives' complaints for some time. It acknowledges that care on the psychogeriatric ward is currently below standard. "The measures we have taken have not yet led to the improvement needed on all points. We have to face that too," the organisation said.

The questions go beyond the one home. Dobbe asks how the minister responds to the unions' reaction to the problems. She also asks whether the minister agrees there is a link between the abuses and the dismantling policy on elderly care pursued by recent cabinets and the current one, and whether permanent jobs in elderly care must be made more attractive, with decent employment conditions.