the minister promises a “cure of transparency”

by time news

Heard by the Senate, Brigitte Bourguignon undertook to reveal the inspection report, hitherto kept secret.

Transparency operation. The inspection report carried out by Igas and the IGF on the Ehpad Orpea group will be “published in a few days“, promised Brigitte Bourguignon, Tuesday. Faced with the senatorial commission of inquiry on nursing homes, the Minister Delegate for Autonomy defended herself from any desire to conceal this document, the absence of publication of which is controversial. She rejected the responsibility on Orpea. Irregularity in the use of public funds, nutritional deficiency of residents…

This report, commissioned following the publication of the book Les Fossoyeurs by Victor Castanet, points to “serious malfunctions ” within the giant Ehpad and led the government to seize the prosecutor and to demand the restitution of public endowments to the group. The government did notnever opposedto the publication of this document, assured the minister. Brigitte Bourguignon reported having asked Philippe Charrier, the group’s CEO, by email to lift this secret. “He replied that he did not want to lift what is covered by business secrecy. I regret this setback“, continued the minister.

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Orpea refutes this version of the facts. The company “confirms again to be in favor of the publication of the report“. Its CEO had regretted, in an interview with Le Figaro, “that the final report is neither made public nor made available to stakeholders“. The group clarified on Tuesday that its agreement to this publication does not “was requested only on Monday March 28 by the office of the Minister“. In his email, he states that he replied “share the opinion of Minister M. Véran, who considers it important to make the final report public, with the exception of what is covered by business secrecy“. This would relate toone-off information, the disclosure of which would be likely to harm the competitive interests of Orpea».

Important flaws

«This story of business secrecy surprises me a little“, Slipped Senator Bernard Bonne (LR), rapporteur for the mission. Citing the investigative work of Victor Castaner, he was also moved by the refusal “of most of the ARS to transmit the elements making it possible to clarify the practices of the group“. While the government has been confronted, since January, with a scandal over an organized system which would lead to abuse in retirement homes, Brigitte Bourguignon took stock of the actions. For two months, more than 230 particularly flagged establishments, “mainly from the Orpea group“, were checked by the regional health agencies (ARS). “Several major malfunctions have been identified, leading for 70 of them to injunctions or sanctions“. Some nursing homes have been put under temporary administration, or even closed.

On Tuesday, the ARS Île-de-France also published the results of its inspection, carried out at the end of January, of the Ehpad Orpea Les Bords de Seine, the establishment “top of the lineof the group in Neuilly-sur-Seine, at the heart of Victor Castanet’s investigation. His report, unveiled by Le Journal du Dimanche, highlights the flaws in the care of residents. Number “raised» of undernourished residents, poor management of the transmission of «serious adverse events“, rights of users not respected… The life of the residents does not quite resemble that praised on the site of the establishment. As for certain promised quality equipment, such as balneotherapy, they are “inoperative“. Staff management appears to be failing: “The way in which the work of healthcare teams is organized is likely to affect the quality and safety of care for residents.»


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The Minister Delegate for Autonomy finally promised the senators a “transparency cure“. It is committed to taking action quickly, through regulations. The government wishes to strengthen the obligation of transparency in contracts with nursing homes and give “an overall and transparent vision of the accounting of commercial nursing homes“. She promises an upcoming decree for “end the black box».

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