There is no evidence to support the claim that private sector nursing homes provide poorer care than public ones, a spokesman for the private and voluntary nursing home sector has said.
Tadhg Daly, Chief Executive of Nursing Homes Ireland was speaking in the wake of an RTÉ programme on two Irish nursing homes run by French multinational Emeis. The undercover documentary alleged serious failings in the care being delivered.
Mr Daly cited a 15-year review of the sector last year by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) that noted a “clear trend” of large corporate groups purchasing Irish nursing homes but found no associated negative effect on care.
The report said Hiqa “does not currently have any specific concerns” regarding the quality of care provided in nursing homes that are owned or operated by these large corporate groups.
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[ What is Emeis and where are its Irish care homes located?Opens in new window ]
However, it said the consolidation of nursing home ownership by a small number of large operators represented a “systemic risk” that should be addressed as part of an overall strategy for the sector.
Mr Daly said there must be a regulatory regime that delivers the “high quality care that our older people require and deserve”.
The policy of “Ireland Inc” was to encourage foreign direct investment in all sectors of the economy, including the healthcare sector, he said.
“You can have bad outcomes in the private system and bad outcomes in the public system,” he said.
Emeis Ireland, formerly Orpea, apologised for what was revealed by the RTÉ documentary, which involved secret filming inside The Residence, in Portlaoise, Co Laois, and the Beneavin Manor nursing home, in Glasnevin, Dublin 11.
Minister for Older People Kieran O’Donnell met Hiqa in the wake of the programme which he described as “extremely distressing”.
The share price of the French multinational, then called Orpea, collapsed a few years ago following the publication of a book in France about care standards in its homes, with a French state investment fund eventually bailing it out. The fund remains the largest shareholder of the business, which had global revenues of €5.6 billion last year.
The French multinational is the largest operator in the Irish nursing home sector, with its Irish subsidiaries owned by way of a company in Luxembourg called Central & Eastern Europe Health Care Services Holding Sarl.
Shane Scanlan, chief executive of The Alliance – Supporting Nursing Homes, a nursing home trade association said smaller independent nursing home groups provide a better standard of care in general than multinational groups do, because they are “on the ground” and their owners are more in touch with what is happening in their home.
“Emeis has €5.6 billion generated in global funding and you look at the programme and there aren’t even sheets, basic incontinence wear, there’s poor staffing levels. That’s completely unacceptable from an organisation generating that level of revenue.”
A Hiqa report from an inspection of the Portlaoise nursing home in February noted a weak organisation structure was affecting the quality of care being provided. It also noted “noncompliance” in a number of key areas. There were 70 residents in the home at the time of the visit.
Although changes had been introduced in the wake of criticisms made after a previous inspection, the report said, “this inspection found that the overall governance and management of the centre had deteriorated since”.
A November 2024 inspection of the Beneavin home, where there were 72 residents at the time, did not find any instance of noncompliance.
“From what the residents told the inspector and from what was observed, it was evident that residents were very happy living in Firstcare Beneavin Manor and their rights were respected in how they spent their days,” the report said.
In a statement on Friday, Emeis noted a request from the Minister for Older People for Hiqa to conduct a national review of its nursing home facilities and said it will co-operate fully with all regulatory and statutory bodies.
It said Hiqa and the HSE have visited Beneavin Manor and The Residence Portlaoise, and it has separately initiated on-site audits and “detailed corrective actions”.
It said the “shocking and unacceptable” footage showing “poor and abusive practice” is not representative of the professionalism and commitment of its employees in Ireland.
