'Absolutely disgraceful' - controversial new role for Nenagh's new nursing home
“Absolutely disgraceful”. That was the reaction of local Labour Party TD Alan Kelly to news that the HSE is making arrangements to use the new multi-millon euro vacant community nursing home in Nenagh as a facility to help ease congestion in University Hospital Limerick (UHL).
The news that the €23 million community nursing home is be repurposed as a stepdown facility to take the pressure off UHL was disclosed by Independent TD Michael Lowry, who said the move was aimed at reducing patient overcrowding, which had reached “chaotic and dangerous” levels in the regional hospital in Limerick.
Mr Lowry said HSE management were “scrambling” to get unacceptable conditions at UHL under control due to chronic bed shortages and felt the new Saint Conlon’s home in Nenagh was a way to ease the pressure on the region’s only acute hospital.
As part of a management solution, it was now proposed to bring the new 50-bed unit in Nenagh into use as early as possible to ease congestion at UHL - a move that has sparked anger and shock among locals, who were looking forward to the building opening as a state-of-the-art nursing home to serve the needs of the wider community in Nenagh and surrounding areas.
Deputy Lowry said the repurposed unit in Nenagh would be used on a temporary basis as a stepdown, convalescent rehab centre and that it would be privately run.
“It is intended that a private health care provider would staff and manage the unit under the auspices of the HSE for the duration of an 18-24 month contract,” said Mr Lowry.
This repurposing of the new community nursing home would allow for the daycare surgery unit at Nenagh to resume normal functions without interruptions to activity and the resultant inconveniences and stress to patients on waiting lists for a variety of surgical procedures, said Mr Lowry.
He said the proposed move would have an impact on residents of the other community nursing home in Nenagh - also called Saint Conlon’s, situated at Church Road.
“This proposed repurposing of the new unit at Nenagh would have the unfortunate consequence of delaying the transfer of St Conlon’s to the new purpose-built unit.”
Deputy Lowry said another move aimed at easing congestion at UHL would entail a reconfiguration of the new 96-bed unit at that hospital site that would involve significant changes to the day-to-day operational and case management of patients.
OPPOSITION
The move to repurpose the new unit in Nenagh provoked a fuming response from Labour Party TD Alan Kelly. “It is absolutely disgraceful,” he said, “that the HSE are planning to deprive North Tipperary of the new state-of-the-art nursing home in Nenagh that has remained unopened since being completed last year.”
Mr Kelly went on: “The overcrowding situation in UHL is so wrong. But two wrongs don’t make a right, and depriving elderly people and their families from Nenagh and surrounds of 50 nursing beds is a disgrace.”
Mr Kelly said he had a long history of providing funding and fighting for the new nursing home after HIQA deemed that Saint Conlon’s Home at Church Road couldn’t continue in the long term.
On the new Saint Conlon’s unit at Tyone, he said: “I have over the last few months been fighting for families to get the staff required to get this new home open.
“The decision to now use it as a step down facility because of the overcrowding in UHL is so wrong. Where will the people who need these nursing home beds go now? I have families contacting me every week looking for nursing home care for their loved ones. What is this Government and their supporters going to say to these families now?”
UPSET
Mr Kelly added: “We in Nenagh were screwed over in 2009 when we lost our A&E and ICU for reconfiguration in the Mid West, which never happened. We are now being screwed a second time.
“What about the staff in St Conlon’s Nursing home who were expecting to move up to this new state- of-the-art home? I visited them this week and they are so upset. They will not put up with this.
“What about HIQA who have been saying for years that this new nursing home was necessary to replace St Conlon’s?
“To top it all off, this proposal for a step down facility is not going to be run or staffed by the HSE? It is going to be privatised.”
Mr Kelly pointed out that sources in the HSE had previously said they couldn’t get the staff to open the new nursing home.
“But they can get a private company in to run the facility for a purpose it wasn’t built for?
“It cost in excess of €23 million of taxpayers money to build this new nursing home and now they are going to throw away money on a private ‘for profit’ company by outsourcing HSE jobs.
“You could not make this up. It is totally wrong and I will oppose it fully and fight for the families of Nenagh and North Tipperary who deserve to have their elderly citizens looked after in a respectful and compassionate way in a building that was built for them,” concluded Mr Kelly.
NENAGH GROUP
The proposed repurposing has met with outright opposition from the Nenagh Needs Its A&E grouping.
“ We do not support this under any circumstances,” said the group in a statement issued by member, Conor Reidy. “The ‘fix’ that we all want to see for UHL should not come at the expense of our growing elderly population,” the statement added.
The group pointed out that HIQA previously identified infrastructural problems with the existing St Conlon’s community home in Nenagh, which in turn led to the decision to replace it with a bigger, more suitable facility “for the staff to deliver the wonderful care that they have been providing to generations of elderly members of our community.
“It is appalling to propose that they are somehow second best and should wait even longer for the facility that they need and deserve.”
Group members said they were confused over the proposed repurposing. “TDs are projecting it as a done deal, yet we have heard nothing from the HSE. This uncertainty and possible political kite-flying is irresponsible and grossly unfair to staff at St Conlon’s, the current residents, and the wider community.”
The group said the new community nursing home, situated adjacent to Nenagh Hospital, “should not be a casualty of the failed reconfiguration”.
CAHILL’S INTERVENTION
Fianna Fáil TD for Tipperary Jackie Cahill, in calling on the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly to immediately intervene to tackle the overcrowding crisis in UHL, urged him to open the Medical Assessment Unit in Nenagh Hospital on a 24/7 basis and to temporarily repurpose the nearby new 50-bed Community Nursing Unit to act as a 50-bed sub-acute unit.
“Urgent action is desperately needed to tackle the trolly numbers in UHL. The people of North Tipperary deserve better than what is currently being provided in the Regional Hospital in Limerick,” said Deputy Cahill.
The Fianna Fáil TD said that by opening the Medical Assessment Unit (MAU) in Nenagh Hospital on a 24/7 basis, out of hours GP services could refer people to the MAU rather than to the Emergency Department in Limerick overnight.
“Secondly, I want the minister to temporarily repurpose the new 50-bed Community Nursing Unit (CNU) on site at Nenagh Hospital to provide 50 sub-acute beds for UHL.
“When the new 96-bed unit is opened in UHL early next year, the CNU in Nenagh should immediately return and be operated as a full public nursing unit. The existing St Conlon’s unit should continue operating until that time.
Deputy Cahill added: “I believe that these two steps could have an immediate impact in reducing the number of people on trollies in UHL. With 50 sub-acute beds in operation immediately, we could see trolly numbers begin to reduce. As well as this, a 24/7 MAU in Nenagh Hospital would mean that less people would have to present themselves in the Emergency Department in UHL overnight and could be referred locally to Nenagh by the Shannon Doc services.
“I have pressed these two points with Minister Donnelly and will continue to make the case for enhanced services in Nenagh General Hospital. Urgent action is desperately needed.”
HSE STATEMENT
In a statement, the HSE said it very much welcomes the building of the new Community Nursing Unit in Nenagh and will now be progressing plans for its long-term use as a community nursing unit, including the recruitment for 2025 of the staff needed to run this 50-bed facility.
But it added: “The HSE is also aware of the significant pressures at UHL which serves Nenagh. A decision has been made to utilise the new building for a period of about one year as a step down sub-acute facility which will be run by a private provider with expertise in such services. Tendering has commenced.
“This interim use will greatly support the region pending the completion of the first of two new 96 bed blocks for UHL scheduled to be completed in early 2025.
“The current Community Nursing Unit at St Conlon’s will continue during this period. The HSE has every intention of then moving to the long-term use of the new CNU to replace St Conlon’s.”