Vulnerable residents of the Leas Cross nursing home who suffered sub-standard care were "seriously betrayed by those responsible for managing the home and regulating standards there", advocacy body Age Action said.
"The arms of the state responsible for protecting these people let them down, and let them down in a major way," spokesman Eamon Timmins said, following publication today of the report of the Commission of Investigation into the home.
"From supporting the re-registration of the home to increase the number of beds from 38 to 111 without considering the viability of such a large home and the ability of the home's management to deal with this, to inadequate inspection, and failure to recognise the scale of the problem at Leas Cross despite having information about recurring problems, the Northern Area Health Board failed in their duty to the home's residents," Mr Timmins said.
"Staff in the home and in A&E units which treated residents from the home and saw the extent of their sub-standard care but did not report it, also failed in their ethical duty and enabled the suffering to continue unchecked."
Mr Timmins noted the lack of resources for inspection teams in north Dublin, cited as a factor contributing to inadequate inspections, was "similar to the lack of resources experienced at the time by inspection teams across the country".
"This home came to the public's attention because of the
Prime Timeprogramme in 2005, and it is unclear if the systemic failures would have hidden the problem if it had not been for the media."
The charity was "hopeful" the new independent HIQA nursing home inspectorate would "reduce the chances of similar cases of sub-standard care occurring".