Tipperary TD calls for 'urgent action' to prevent any further closures of nursing homes

Tipperary TD Michael Lowry has said that action is urgently needed to prevent the further closure of nursing homes.

His comment is in response to news that 50 nursing homes have closed since 2019, with 12 out of 14 closing voluntarily in 2022.

"I have highlighted this issue on several occasions in the Dáil," he said, adding that private nursing homes had been raising flags about their struggle to survive financially in recent years.

"The loss of these nursing homes has closed 887 elderly care beds, leaving many elderly people without access to proper care. Some 414 of these beds closed in 2022 alone, with figures for 2023 are not yet available," said the Independent TD.

At the root of the problem was the discrimination by the State under the Fair Deal Scheme in the funding of private nursing home resident care as opposed to public nursing home resident care, he said.

Public nursing homes receive substantially more per resident per week than what is available to pay for the care of an elderly person in a private nursing home. This difference is in excess of €700 per week.

"Private nursing home owners were being tasked with doing the impossible," said Deputy Lowry. "They were expected to provide complete elderly care for significantly less than the amount allocated to their public counterparts."

The Thurles TD pointed out that the private nursing homes were duty-bound to provide the same level of complex care as public nursing homes. Yet, while public nursing homes had these specialised needs provided at no cost by the HSE, private operators must pay for services such as chiropody, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and, sometimes, even basic medical equipment.

"Staff retention has also been an ongoing problem, as staff leave the private homes as soon as they can to work in the public nursing homes, where pay and job security are better," said Deputy Lowry.

He said that, by allowing the closure of private nursing homes, the Department had closed off a vital means of easing the pressure on hospitals.

"Losing these 887 nursing home beds will cause major delays in discharging elderly patients from hospitals. While many elderly patients are deemed fit to be discharged from hospital, they are unable to return home or be cared for by family. The Public Nursing Homes will be unable to provide sufficient beds for recuperations and families may be unable to meet the care needs of the elderly patient.

"Ireland has an ageing population. Life circumstances will dictate that increasing numbers of elderly people will require full-time care that cannot be adequately provided by family. The demand for Nursing Homes places will soar and, if this current trend of closures continues, they will have nowhere to receive the care they need and deserve.

"Government plans to increase bed capacity in Public Nursing Homes will not meet needs going forward. They will not meet the demand for places and their location, which is typically urban, may result in isolation for patients whose families may be unable to visit them as often as they need.

"The situation must be addressed as a priority and action must be taken that will prevent further closures and encourage Private Nursing Home operators to expand or re-enter the market," said Deputy Lowry.