A TD has expressed his fury over the way in which many private nursing homes in Ireland have been forced to ‘evict’ elderly residents because of shortfalls in funding.
Meath West TD Peadar Tóibín was speaking after his party, Aontú, shared harrowing video footage of residents being moved. The footage was released by the Director of a nursing home in Mayo, St. Anne’s in Charlestown, which captured residents being moved.
Mr Tóibín described the scenes as “heartbreaking” and said that the government had been cautioned that such a situation could unfold.
⚠️ Harrowing Footage ⚠️
Lack of government funding for nursing homes is leading to the eviction of residents across the country.
Our hearts break for these residents and staff.
Aontú raised the issue in the Dáil last week and will do so again this evening. 💔 pic.twitter.com/LcaQrcNlf5
— Aontú (@AontuIE) June 27, 2023
His comments come after he warned that Minister for Older People, Mary Butler TD, was “sleepwalking towards a nursing home capacity cliff edge”.
Speaking in recent weeks in the Dáil, Mr Tóibín raised the potential loss of 700 beds in nursing homes in Co Cork because of inequalities in funding private versus public nursing homes.
He told Minister Butler of a “shocking emergency” facing the nursing home sector at present, with nursing homes experiencing a 36% increase in the cost of care since 2017, meaning a third of Irish nursing homes are now losing money.
He referred to data from the ERSI which estimated ireland needs 40,000 residential care places by 2030 – double what is available at present. His concerns, expressed to the Minister, follow the publication of a recent report from Nursing Homes Ireland which found that 33 per cent of nursing homes surveyed reported an operating loss last year, up from 19 per cent in 2021. On average, HSE homes receive an additional €730 per week when compared with private nursing homes.
His comments come after he warned that Minister for Older People, Mary Butler TD, was “sleepwalking towards a nursing home capacity cliff edge”.
Speaking in recent weeks in the Dáil, Mr Tóibín raised the potential loss of 700 beds in nursing homes in Co Cork because of inequalities in funding private versus public nursing homes.
He told Minister Butler of a “shocking emergency” facing the nursing home sector at present, with nursing homes experiencing a 36% increase in the cost of care since 2017, meaning a third of Irish nursing homes are now losing money.
He referred to data from the ERSI which estimated ireland needs 40,000 residential care places by 2030 – double what is available at present. His concerns, expressed to the Minister, follow the publication of a recent report from Nursing Homes Ireland which found that 33 per cent of nursing homes surveyed reported an operating loss last year, up from 19 per cent in 2021. On average, HSE homes receive an additional €730 per week when compared with private nursing homes.
Today the Meath West TD highlighted poignant footage shared with him of a man leaving a private nursing home, while visibly upset staff gathered outside to say farewell to him:
“This footage is truly heart-breaking,” he said. “The residents are emotional. The staff are emotional. The government was warned this would happen. Aontú raised this in the Dáil last week with both Minister Rabbitte and Minister Butler.
“I warned that the Minister was sleep-walking towards a nursing home capacity cliff edge. The government are not listening and consequently nursing home residents are being evicted, as homes are forced to shut their doors,” he said.
He continued: “I am furious at the situation the government have allowed to develop. This is a most distressing situation for residents and staff across the country. Our elderly have been let down once again – people who have worked hard building this country, rearing their children and paying their taxes all their lives.
He went on to describe a “shocking emergency” within the nursing home sector at present, highlighting increases in the cost of care, and the fact 900 nursing home beds have been lost in the system in the last three years alone.
“On average there is €730 more per week for HSE homes, in terms of funding, when compared with private nursing homes. The fair deal scheme isn’t fair! Unless the government takes this for the emergency that it is, we are going to see more eviction videos published,” Mr Tóibín said in a statement.
The video in question was described as “sickening” and “disgraceful” on social media, with many expressing disbelief at the situation.
Many highlighted the fact that elderly private nursing home residents have likely worked hard all their lives to be treated so poorly by their own government.
Party representative Eric Nelligan said that there had been “silence” from government parties other than Aontú on the closure of nursing homes.
Aontú have been the first and possibly only party questioning the closures of nursing homes, silence from Gov parties
Aontú championed an independent investigation into deaths in nursing homes, where close to 30% of Covid Deaths occurred.
Aontú queried why at peak of Covid… https://t.co/5iIrURjhzW
— Eric Nelligan Aontú (@eric_nelligan) June 27, 2023
“What sort of country have we become?” was a sentiment expressed on social media in response to the jarring footage.
Speaking last week in the Dail, Mr Tóibín raised the case of one family he knows personally whose 99-year-old father will have to be taken from a nursing home where he has been well settled for years.
“They will have to remove him from all friendly recognisable faces and then try to find a space in a shrinking sector,” he said.
The TD referenced another woman who is in a secure dementia unit and was recently told by Care Choice that they could no longer provide the service after the NTPF sanctioned just €2.28 a day extra per resident to meet the cost of inflation.
“Where do the residents of these Nursing Homes go?” he asked. “The residents don’t want to leave. This is their home and now they are being evicted. There needs to be an immediate emergency stabilisation fund made available to keep Nursing Homes open.
“Whether it’s on home care, or nursing home care, it is truly shocking that so many elderly people, who have spent their lives in many cases building this country into what it is, and paying taxes all their lives, are now being left abandoned,” he added.