Commitment to new nursing home must be honoured

Families and residents have waited long enough

Labour TD, Alan Kelly is calling for the commitment given to him by the HSE on the transfer of St Conlon's residents to the new nursing home in Tyone along with the full opening its 50 beds to be honoured.

Deputy Kelly said: “As everyone is well aware I along with my colleagues Cllr Fiona Bonfield and Cllr Louise Morgan Walsh as well as some other local representatives including Cllr Seamie Morris, the staff of St Conlon’s, the families of the residents of St Conlon’s, the Save Nenagh Community Nursing Home Group, the Mid West Hospital Action Group and the general public, have fought tooth and nail to reverse the decision of the HSE in March 2024 to take over our new state-of-the-art nursing home in Nenagh and use it as a stepdown facility for the overcrowding in UHL. Thousands protested the decision and marched through the streets of Nenagh.

“In March 2025 in the Dail the Minister for Older People Kieran O'Donnell assured me that the new Community Nursing Home, which I fought for years to get funding for and built while a minister, would finally open fully this autumn with 50 beds becoming available."

In March 2025, the Government/HSE confirmed the following to Deputy Kelly:

1. It was their intention to finish the contract with the private company BARTRA that is running the stepdown facility this August.

2. They will then have to re-register the building with HIQA as an elderly care facility, which they don’t think will take long.

3. They expect them to move current residents and staff from St Conlon’s to the new nursing home in October.

4. This will only be a nursing home for 50 people. There is no intention despite suggestions otherwise that there will be a 25/25 between a nursing home and a stepdown facility.

5. It is the intention to open the other 25 beds at the same time as when the St Conlon’s residents move over (or as soon as the new residents are ready).

6. There will be a number of respite beds in the new facility to help families who are looking after loved ones.

7. The HSE are confident that they will be able to staff the facility from the HSE staffing panels.

Deputy Kelly added: “This is the information that was given to me in March 2025 and repeated afterwards by the HSE. I told the HSE that the people of Nenagh and surrounds have put up with enough and these commitments and this timeline must be honoured.

“What we need now is not just the transfer of St Conlon's residents to the new nursing home but the full opening of the home with 50 beds. This is what was committed to me and I expect it to happen gradually but quickly after the transfer of St Conlon's residents next month. Staffing cannot be an issue as the HSE have had a year to plan for this and assured me in March that it wouldn't be an issue. The families waiting and hoping their loved ones will get into this state-of-the-art public facility have waited long enough. They've had years of false promises. They can't take any more and I'll fight on their behalf to make sure they won't have any more.”