Urgent action needed to halt further Mayo nursing home closures

A Mayo TD has said that the government must listen to older people and their families in Mayo and take urgent action to build public capacity and halt nursing home closures.

Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh is calling on the government to develop a medium and long-term plan to ensure the sustainability of nursing homes across the state.

She said: “There is a sharp and deeply worrying trend of nursing home closures that is causing enormous concern for older people and their families.

“Older people in Mayo and their families must have their voices heard. That requires immediate action from government to halt nursing home closures and build public capacity.

“In the last three years, there have been 31 private and voluntary nursing home closures resulting in the loss of 915 beds.

"Without government intervention, this will get considerably worse.

“We have seen a loss of capacity in the region with closures of 3 nursing homes in both Galway and Roscommon causing a loss of 179 places.

"In Mayo, St Anne's Nursing Home in Sonnagh, Charlestown has informed HIQA of their intention to close meaning a loss of 26 places.

“An increasing number of nursing homes are considering leaving the Fair Deal Scheme and maintain it is not providing sustainable funding while many more reported an operating loss in 2022 and are raising concerns about the viability of the sector.

“Our older people need love, support and security in their golden years but instead an increasing number of them are being told that there is nowhere for them to go.

“This is causing incredible stress for them and their families, and cannot be allowed to continue.

“As a society, we can and must be so much better than that, and we need a government that is better than that.

“We need a plan that builds up public capacity and that shifts the burden of reliance away from the private sector. But in the here and now, we must halt the trend of nursing homes closing.

“The Dáil goes into recess next month and we simply cannot have a situation where government TDs head off on their holidays without putting in place a plan to address this crisis."

Sinn Féin is this week bringing forward a motion which sets out what steps they believe need to be taken.