Nursing home to be given back
There was a collective sigh of relief in Nenagh this week following news that the new 50-bed Saint Conlon’s community nursing home situated beside the hospital in Tyone will finally open to people in need of long-stay elderly care this coming October.
Fury raged in the community and hundreds took to the streets in protest last May when the HSE decided to repurpose the brand new multi-million euro nursing home as a stepdown facility for patients in the overcrowded University Hospital Limerick.
Fears were expressed at the time that the building would never be used for the purposes for which it was originally intended.
However, Independent TD Michael Lowry has now quelled those concerns, revealing that the use of the building as a stepdown facility will cease and it will operate as a community nursing home seven months from now.
“St Conlon’s in Nenagh will be transferred to its original purpose as a community nursing home in October,” said Deputy Lowry.
Huge controversy and local anger were sparked almost a year ago when it emerged that a private company, Bartra Healthcare, was to be commissioned by the HSE to run the home as a stepdown facility for patients from UHL.
Deputy Lowry said that in recent talks he had with the HSE and Department of Health officials, he insisted that the contract of the company to continue to run the building as a stepdown facility not be extended.
He added: “I am pleased that the HSE has now confirmed to me that the contract will expire this September and will not be renewed.”
The Independent TD said the decision now clears the way for patients of the old Saint Conlon’s home at Church Road to be transferred in October to the new Saint Conlon’s.
The fact that these patients were prevented entry to the new home when construction was completed early last year was regrettable, and arose due to chronic over-crowding at UHL, said Deputy Lowry.
He said he had been previously given assurances by senior HSE executives that North Tipperary patients will benefit from this facility and will be prioritised for admission to the unit once it reverts for use as a community nursing home.
PEOPLE POWER
Local Labour Party TD Alan Kelly said the decision to open the building as a community nursing home was a victory for “people power”.
He said he, along with some other local politicians, the families of the residents of St Conlon’s in Church Road, the Save Nenagh Community Nursing Home Group, Mid West Hospital Action Group and the general public locally fought tooth and nail to reverse the decision of the HSE to take over the new home as a stepdown facility for University Hospital Limerick.
“Over the last number of months, I have been pursuing the HSE to ensure they would honour their commitment to open the nursing home later this year. I have got multiple answers on their plans and there has been great confusion,” said Deputy Kelly.
He said in lengthy discussions with the HSE last week, officials told him that it is their intention to finish the contract with the private company Bartra in August. They would then have to re-register the building with HIQA as an elderly care facility “which they don’t think will take long”.
Deputy Kelly said officials informed him that they expect to move current residents and staff from St Conlon’s in Church Road to the new home October.
He said officials confirmed that from October the building will operate as a long stay nursing home for approximately 50 people.
Deputy Kelly said there will be a number of respite beds in the new facility to help families who are looking after loved ones.
“The HSE are confident that they will be able to staff the facility from the HSE staffing panels,” he said.
He added: “I have told the HSE that the people of Nenagh and surrounds have put up with enough and these commitments and this timeline must be honoured. I want to thank everyone locally for their support and endeavours to help get to this point.
“People power won, and this Government and their local representatives have learnt a valuable lesson that people will stand up for the elderly, their families and what is right.”
Deputy Kelly said the HSE has also informed him that it expects the new 96 bed block in University Hospital Limerick to open this September.
He said thought now had to be put into future uses for the old Saint Conlon’s building at Church Road once residents depart to the new home later this year.