Andrés Rueda: "The administration is hypocritical with residences because it demands knowing that it finances below cost"

BarcelonaIn the WhatsApp group of directors and managers of dependency care centers and services, comments are circulating about the information published in ARA about the fines of 5.2 million euros to geriatric residences. This is explained by the president of DiGESCAD, Andrés Rueda, who laments the “criminalization” of these facilities.

Don't the more than five million euros in fines explain that something is being done wrong?

— In reality, it has surprised us that there are not more. With this I don't mean that they are not important quantities, which they are. But they are few despite the administration, because the public funding that we residences receive and what is demanded in terms of results is unbalanced. They impose more obligations on us but without paying us more.

It is true that the previous team admitted an underfunding of the subsidized places.

— The current ministry has made an effort, but it is completely insufficient. We continue with underfunded financing, but for what the administration pays, we are doing an excellent job. We must value the dedication of the staff, who give their all and get tired, and of the companies that do not have many reasons to close and sell the center. We are working in a minefield from the point of view of the administration's demands, with ever more peripheral protocols that steal attention time.

But protocols and the sanctioning regime are indispensable to punish malfunction.

— Evidentment, but since last year we have had two inspections from the Prosecutor's Office for containment, from the Treasury, from social rights, from health, four from legionella. I want this security, but it has to be paid for, and next to each instruction there must be the cost. In reality, we only have a demand for standards, but without any analysis of the cost. You cannot have a sector in legal insecurity and paid below cost.

What is meant by legal uncertainty?

— There is no other sector that works with such insecurity as residences, we are the most mistreated. Inspections are carried out without a check list and without standardization, so imposing sanctions is reckless.

So you mean they don't know why they are being fined?

— I mean that we feel especially singled out, criminalized. Responsibilities are being transferred to the centers when it's a system problem. There are more and more laws and regulations, more inspections of all kinds, but nothing adapts to the needs of the user profile. The professional ratios have been the same since 2013, when many residents had autonomy; 30% went to the bathroom alone. Now they need much more support and you can no longer have as much staff watching the community space. And the inspector comes and says there isn't enough supervision in the dining room. The same happens with food, which is now more assisted. It's impossible to do everything because the profile has changed, there are fewer resources, staff have more work, and more days off have been introduced, and absenteeism has skyrocketed.

Is it absenteeism or medical leave due to hard work? The staff shortage is systemic, as are the low wages in the sector.

— I don't care if it's a justified or unjustified absence, but the service cannot be planned if we don't know when we have to look for replacements and for how long. primary care centers can't cope. I'm not arguing about an absence, but about the time to attend to them because in the end it affects the residences. The problem with the lack of staff is that you hire people on probation who you can't fire if you see you've made a mistake.

Are ratios impossible to meet?

— It is very difficult. There is social staff doing healthcare work that does not concern them because there are no nurses 24 hours a day. We spend days doing paperwork and covering tasks that are not typical of the residential service. We have more medication dispensations and more dysphagias [difficulty swallowing], and if you have to do it quickly, you increase the risk.

Residences have been questioned and families denounce undignified treatment.

— The administration is engaged in an exercise of hypocrisy: it knows that it finances below cost, demands a lot, and sends a message of five-star residences, when what it should do is explain how far one can go with current funding. We agree that residents can choose their menu, but this implies having a very large catering service, that is to say, a high cost. False expectations should not be generated for families.

They are families that pay more than 2,000 euros per place.

— Large investment groups in centers I don't know, but more than 50% of residences have 50 places. 85% are family businesses that operate with loans, and having 24-hour care for a highly dependent person is very expensive. Despite everything, we perform wonders, and the only response we seem to get is that we are fined for poor maintenance or a dirty wall, without taking into account that we haven't been paid since November.

Has the Generalitat stopped paying for concerts?

— We don't know how many residences have not been paid for four months, but it means they have to reduce expenses, go into debt, reduce dividends and their savings capacity. We have been financing the administration since November. Can anyone imagine what would happen if doctors, police officers, or teachers stopped being paid for four months?

— [The Department of Social Rights admits that due to technical reasons of lack of credit, some invoices from 2025 were not submitted on time. It assures that before the end of May, payments will be made through the surplus circuit.]