The Social Security has closed 43 daycare centers and 307 nursing homes due to inadequate conditions following nearly two thousand inspections conducted since 2023, during which 766 illegal establishments were identified.
Over a two-and-a-half-year period, from 2023 to the first half of 2025, the Institute of Social Security (ISS) inspected 1,608 Residential Structures for the Elderly and 363 daycare centers.
In both cases, one-third of the inspected establishments lacked licensing, with 637 nursing homes and 129 daycare centers found to be illegal.
The Social Security did not specify the directives issued in these cases, which in severe situations could result in closure. However, following the inspections, 350 establishments were ordered to shut down.
The majority closed were nursing homes: 307 in total, 56 of which were urgent closures due to imminent danger to the rights and quality of life of the residents.
In urgent closure situations, the ISS proceeds with the immediate removal of residents, who are then referred to families or alternative social responses.
In the first half of this year, nine urgent nursing home closures were decreed, along with 50 administrative closures due to conditions that did not pose a danger to residents.
Regarding daycare centers, the Social Security ordered the closure of 43 establishments, nearly half in 2023, with two urgent closures and 31 administrative closures.
In the first six months of 2025, two urgent and five administrative daycare center closures were enacted.
According to a report to Lusa, the ISS also received 52 requests for authorization to operate new daycare centers in the first semester, with 22 beginning operations.
“According to the Social Charter, as of December 2024, there were 2,594 daycare centers,” stated the Social Security, specifying that the installed capacity reached 133,691 places.
“The opening of more daycare centers is planned. Updating coverage rates and launching a digital platform for managing and monitoring social response vacancies will allow for planning and an increase in the number of vacancies based on a more accurate diagnosis of territorial needs,” it added.
Since 2023, the number of cooperation agreements increased from 1,875 to 1,889 in 2025, with a reinforcement of 46.10 euros in the monthly contribution per user, rising from 473.80 euros to 519.90 euros.
Concerning nursing homes, Social Security received 65 requests for authorization to operate during the first half of the year, with 26 new establishments starting operations.
As of December 2024, there were 105,316 places in homes, of which 74,424 (71%) were under cooperation agreements with the ISS.
Per institution, Social Security established 1,721 cooperation agreements (12 more than in 2023) and increased the monthly user contribution from 523.29 euros to 666.90 euros.
