Private company to run nursing home

‘Battle isn’t over yet’ for St Conlon’s

A private management company has been selected to run the new St Conlon's community nursing unit in Nenagh.

It has emerged that Bartra Property Company will manage the newly-built facility at Tyone. Completed at the end of last year, the 50-bed unit was never opened as a nursing home because staff to run it had not been recruited.

It is now to be used as a temporary sub-acute bed facility, or step-down unit, for University Hospital Limerick.

It is understood that the planned move of 25 existing residents and staff from St Conlon's on Church Road to the new facility has been postponed until next June, pending completion of new permanent bed capacity in Limerick.

Raising the matter at last week's meeting of Nenagh Municipal District, Cllr Séamie Morris described the engagement of a private company to manage the new nursing home as “scandalous”. He also mentioned that the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has extended the licence for the existing St Conlon's to 2027, when the authority previously stated it needed to be closed down.

“We all know that St Conlon's is not fit for purpose,” Cllr Morris told the meeting. “I really want to condemn the HSE for what they're doing here.”

He said the staff and their unions are “still fighting” the situation and warned that “this battle is not over yet”.

A nursing professional herself, Cllr Louise Morgan Walsh spoke of the importance of having nursing home beds in local communities. Forcing people to look elsewhere for nursing home beds is “not good enough”.

Cllr Morgan Walsh said people are awaiting further details about the company takeover of Nenagh's new community nursing unit. “But it shouldn't be happening,” she agreed.

Cllr John Carroll also took a dim view of the situation.

“It's amazing where you can find resources and where you can't find resources,” he observed.