COUNTY Limerick TD Richard O’Donoghue hit out at the idea of an unused nursing home in Tournafulla being turned into an emergency accommodation centre for international protection applicants.
The West Limerick facility, which closed as a nursing home in recent years, is currently used as a community shop.
While the government had been assessing the former nursing home as a potential refugee centre, it is understood such plans have been paused.
Deputy O’Donoghue hit out at the government’s decision to allow the conversion of nursing homes in general into accommodation centres for international protection applicants (IPAs).
He is of the belief that “reducing the transition period (from nursing hope to to accommodation centre) to 18 months creates an economic incentive for some operators to deregister from HIQA’s register to avail of more lucrative IPAS accommodation payments”.
“This narrow window effectively means elderly people are being removed from their beds by unscrupulous providers.”
The County Limerick TD said he has written to Health Minister Stephen Donnelly “recommending an emergency policy requiring any nursing home applying for IPAs accommodation provision to have been deregistered for five years”.
He further called on the Health Minister to protect nursing homes instead of what he claims is forcing them to make economic decisions to repurpose for asylum seekers.
“Nationally, at least 15 properties that previously operated as nursing homes are now used by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth for accommodating people fleeing conflict or IPAs applicants,” Deputy O’Donoghue stated, further claiming that “active efforts are underway to obtain more nursing homes, further disenfranchising our elderly. This threatens the future of the long-loved Irish model of locally based nursing homes.”
In response, the Department of Health told the Limerick Post that sustainability of the nursing home sector in Ireland is a priority for the government.
A spokesperson said that unprecedented levels of funding, investment, and support have been provided to stabilise the sector.
Over the last four years, the spokesperson said, there has been a focus on providing stabilisation to the sector and creating a sustainable environment, including a €151million investment in the Temporary Assistance Payment, €10million in the Temporary Inflation Payment, and a further €10million in the Residential Standards Improvement Scheme.
“Budget 2023 saw over €40 million in additional funding for the Nursing Homes Support Scheme (NHSS), which is providing for an uplift in the maximum prices chargeable by private and voluntary nursing homes,” the spokesperson continued.
“An additional €45.6million has been allocated to support nursing homes in Budget 2024.”
Contrary to Deputy O’Donoghue’s criticism, the Department also stated that it continues to prioritise the best interests of nursing home residents to ensure that their welfare and care is ensured.
The spokesperson said that “given the challenges currently being faced in the nursing home sector” and after “noticing a small trend emerging”, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly and Minister for Older People Mary Butler agreed with Integration Minister Roderic O’Gorman to change the procurement guidelines around accommodation for persons under temporary protection in order to remove from consideration active nursing homes that were still registered operators with HIQA on or after September 1, 2022.
“The intention behind this position has been to avoid unintentionally incentivising active nursing homes to leave the market. Former nursing homes that had already ceased operation and were deregistered prior to this date remain unaffected if they wish to enter into contracts as accommodation providers,” the spokesperson said.
