Residents praise care and activities at Tipperary nursing home in new report

A resident at Patterson’s Nursing Home near Roscrea told a HIQA inspector that they would “recommend it to anyone”, as an unannounced inspection found that residents were generally happy with the care and support provided at the centre.

The inspection of Patterson’s Nursing Home, located in Lismackin, approximately four miles from Roscrea, took place on July 7, 2026.

The nursing home, which is operated by Ormond Healthcare Ltd, can accommodate up to 24 residents. There were 23 residents living in the centre on the day of the inspection.

The inspector found that residents were generally positive about their experience, with staff observed to be helpful, respectful and considerate in their interactions.

Residents spoke positively about the support they received, with one describing staff as “caring and considerate”.

The inspector noted that the atmosphere in the centre was relaxed and welcoming, with residents appearing comfortable and content.

Residents also spoke favourably about the activities available, with several saying there was always something interesting to do.

These included walks outside with fellow residents, singsongs and bingo. An activities board was displayed detailing the planned activities for the day, and residents were seen moving freely throughout the centre and choosing how to spend their time.

The report noted that residents' bedrooms were personalised, with one resident showing the inspector items of personal significance and describing how they had been encouraged to decorate their room.

The centre provides 24-hour nursing care and caters for residents requiring general care, physical disability support, dementia care, respite care and convalescence care.

Visitors were welcomed throughout the day, with residents able to meet family and friends in their bedrooms or communal areas.

In terms of healthcare, HIQA found that residents' needs were being met through regular assessments and access to their GPs.

Residents were also referred to health and social care professionals, including dietitians and speech and language therapists, where required. A physiotherapist attended the centre weekly, while occupational therapy referrals were made as necessary.

However, the inspection identified a number of areas where improvements were required before the centre could achieve full compliance with regulations.

Under Regulation 17, relating to premises, the inspector found that floor covering was missing in one area of the centre, a call bell was not provided in a communal shower room and several battery-operated call bells in residents' en-suite bathrooms were not functioning effectively.

The inspector also identified shortcomings in the centre's fire safety arrangements.

Several cross-corridor fire doors did not close properly to form an effective seal, while an external unit containing equipment, records and staff facilities did not have a fire detection system.

The report noted that staff might not be alerted in the event of a fire in this external area.

In addition, the call bell device in the residents' smoking area was not easily accessible to some residents.

Concerns were also raised about record-keeping and management oversight.

The inspector found that some nursing progress notes did not provide a comprehensive overview of residents' current conditions, with multiple daily entries found to have been copied and duplicated.

Some records relating to incidents involving residents also did not contain details of investigations or learning arising from those incidents.

The inspection further found that several complaints and expressions of dissatisfaction did not have investigation records available, while some residents admitted for short stays did not have contracts of care in place.

HIQA concluded that management oversight of records, complaints procedures and contracts for the provision of care services was not fully effective.

In response to the findings, the nursing home outlined a number of actions in its compliance plan.

The provider stated that a call bell had been purchased and installed in the communal shower room, with an additional call bell also installed in the residents' smoking area.

It said temporary battery-operated call bells had been reviewed and were fully operational, with additional weekly checks introduced by the person in charge.

Changes were also outlined to strengthen the management of complaints, nursing records and incident reports, with the person in charge undertaking further reviews and audits.

HIQA assessed seven of the regulations examined during the inspection as compliant, while six were judged to be substantially compliant.

Overall, the inspector found that the standard of care provided to residents was of satisfactory quality, with residents' healthcare needs being met and opportunities for social engagement available.