The legal services of the Department of Social Rights announced on Thursday that they have asked to study whether the center could be included as a prosecutorial party in the case surrounding the Aragó Geriatrics facility in Barcelona. The announcement came as the case’s lead judge charged the facility’s executive leadership after a runaway Salmonella outbreak that claimed eight lives among residents. The department learned of the crisis two months late and, months ago, had entrusted the nursing home’s management back to those same leaders, who are now under indictment.
The leadership of this residence faces charges in connection with the death toll of eight residents from a Salmonella outbreak
The minister responsible for Social Rights, Carles Campuzano, said he would participate in the judicial process and defended the department’s handling of the facility. “Decisions were made to compel the center to fix the situation, and we are now waiting to see if there are criminal responsibilities behind a management that did not meet standards,” he stated. The department already acknowledged responsibility for the case last October in the Parliament. The social affairs secretary admitted that it took two months to learn the extent of the tragedy at the center and that earlier threats of possible closure were what finally pushed managers to start implementing the necessary improvements.
Campuzano defends the department’s management: “Decisions were taken to correct the situation at the center”
Campuzano suggested that had the COVID-19 state of emergency remained in effect, the entire leadership could have been removed and the center switched to new management. “We did not have those tools at the time,” he explained.
The Aragó case prompted a shift in how inspections are coordinated between the Health Authority and the Department of Social Rights. The department required a months-long resignation from Maria Dolores Ortiz, who now returns as the residence’s director and faces charges of negligent homicide. The residence’s administrator, its head nurse, and another center executive are also indicted.
Criminal case for negligent homicide
The court opened a judicial process last July after investigative work by the Barcelona Prosecutor’s Office into a possible negligent homicide. The ruling allowed the accused to be summoned for statements by the prosecutor as investigated parties, while the public prosecutor’s call to close the center was denied at that moment, though it could be reconsidered later in the process. The administration also reserved the right to intervene, which it later chose not to exercise.
The prosecutor’s filing notes that from late July to September 2022, the Aragó residence, located on Aragó Street in Barcelona with capacity for 100 residents (57 public beds), experienced a Salmonella outbreak affecting 39 residents. Of these, 15 were hospitalized and eight died. Despite the obligation to report, the current defendants did not notify the Public Health Agency of Barcelona about any cases, denied transmission among residents, and did not disclose seven of the eight deaths.
Hindering the investigation
In the prosecutor’s view, the center’s management only provided information to the agency after the outbreak had become known through other health channels. The agency’s investigative process was described as being obstructed, with the outbreak’s consequences significantly worsened by a deliberate attempt to conceal data or new cases from Public Health. The agency in question administers services on behalf of the Barcelona City Council and the Generalitat.
In August 2022, the Geriatrics Unit of the Primary Care Team documented the outbreak. Healthcare professionals who visited the center observed “a notable deficiency in hygiene and cleaning throughout the wards.” Subsequent visits by epidemiology technicians confirmed the absence of the hygiene measures required to contain the disease’s spread. The prosecutor notes repeated shortages of hygiene supplies and protective equipment, despite guidelines provided by healthcare staff from the very beginning.
The Public Health Agency of Barcelona concluded in a report that the Aragó geriatrics facility’s “poor practices” from July to September 2022 created a very high health risk for all residents and materialized in several Salmonella infections. It also pointed to a lack of timely medical attention and potential negligence in the care of residents.