Tipperary TD says many private nursing homes are 'clinging on by their fingernails'

Many private nursing homes are clinging on by their fingernails as they battle to make ends meet, according to Tipperary TD Michael Lowry.

He said that the ongoing fight for the survival of such nursing homes remained a serious issue.

Deputy Lowry has requested that the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, sits down with private nursing home representatives to thrash out the issues and concerns that they have, to come to a conclusion, to secure the future of such homes for rural Ireland and, in particular, for the people he represents in Tipperary.

"Rising costs across the board forced the closure of 17 private nursing homes throughout last year, resulting in the loss of approximately 500 jobs. The disruption to families and the heartbreak caused to the elderly residents, who were forced to leave the place they called home, is immeasurable," he told the Dáil.

The Independent TD warned that nursing home owners across Tipperary were predicting that national closures will rise significantly by the end of this current year.

"Nursing home owners are burdened with doubt and worry about the future. It is now a fact that there are no surplus profits to meet the enormous increases in day-to-day costs or to satisfy HIQA demands and compliance standards," he said.

The Thurles TD said that not only will this result in a huge gap in the availability of nursing home care, but it will also make hundreds more people dependent on social welfare payments.