The children of parents in nursing homes on a government list of poor performers should not rush to move their family members elsewhere, patients’ federation NPCF said on Wednesday.

It is extremely difficult to move frail elderly people and they are often unable to cope with the change, the NPCF told broadcaster NOS.

On Wednesday the health minister published a list of 150 nursing home foundations which have given cause for concern, including 11 which are under intense official supervision because of their poor standards.

‘Be sensible, go and check out what the home is like,’ director Dianda Veldman told NOS. ‘Do you feel that your mother or father is in good hands or that things are not going well?’ Children with concerns, she said, should talk with the home’s patient council before taking any action.

Medicine

The inspectors list focuses on safety aspects not how people are actually treated, Veldman said. ‘People are often satisfied with how they are being looked after. This [list] is more about checks on medicine. Is Mrs Jansen being given the medicine she needs?’

Several institutions on the list have said the inspectorate’s information is not up to date and that it does not include improvements made since April.

Junior health minister Martin van Rijn said that inspectors are on top of the conditions in nursing homes so that the alarm can be sounded early. In general, the sector is performing well, he said. ‘But this transparency is in the interests of everyone,’ he said.