Ehpad: the Medicharme group targeted by two investigations

New setback for the nursing home sector, which is barely emerging from the Covid crisis and the Orpea scandal. The Medicharme private nursing home group is the subject of two administrative investigations, the conclusions of which are expected in early 2024, the Ministry of Solidarity announced on Friday.

This summer, the government tasked the General Inspectorate of Finance (IGF) and that of Social Affairs (Igas) with examining the situation of the group, which manages 43 establishments in France and has 1,300 employees. In question, its “commercial and financial practices”, its “managerial practices” and the “effective time of presence of staff” with residents, as well as its “modalities for reporting” incidents, indicates the ministry, confirming information from the Parisian.

For its part, Medicharme ensures that it works “peacefully” with state services and awaits the results of their work, “which will be communicated in a transparent manner”. These two investigations come following the national control plan launched in March 2022 by the State on the 7,500 nursing homes in France, after the publication of the book Les Fossoyeurs, three months earlier.

Medicharme, whose former president and co-founder, Patrick Boulard, was dismissed in 2022, says it has since mobilized “to strengthen the quality of care for residents and avoid any situation of mistreatment”. Like many nursing homes, the group faces a degraded financial situation “due to an increase in costs and a low occupancy rate”, but assures that it is not in suspension of payments or in compulsory liquidation.