THE HEALTH Service Executive (HSE) West has denied that the proposed closure of Galway city’s only public nursing home is linked to the construction of a private nursing home in a neighbouring district.
HSE West was commenting on criticism of its decision to cancel admissions to the St Francis community nursing home on Newcastle road, Galway, and develop it into an “enhanced daycare facility”.
Community activist Derrick Hambleton, who is a member of the Galway City Community Forum, said the closure of the 28-bed nursing home to new patients represented “another stage in Minister for Health Mary Harney’s long journey towards public service devastation”.
“The timetable for the closure of St Francis Nursing Home just happens to link in with the projected opening date of a new private 60-bed nursing home now under construction on Shantalla road,” he said at the weekend.
The late Cumann na mBan activist Bridget Dirrane was one of a number of celebrated residents of the home.
HSE West said that the future of the home as a long-stay unit was “reviewed” over a number of months, after inspections by the Health Information and Quality Agency (Hiqa).
“A significant difficulty was posed for the HSE, as complying with the recommendations would mean reducing the number of bedrooms at St Francis community nursing unit to meet Hiqa’s demand for single ensuite rooms,” HSE West said.
“A family visiting room, large sitting room and space for storage would also have had to be facilitated. Aside from the cost of these changes, it would have resulted in a very significant reduction in bed numbers.”
“This factor was particularly critical in the decision that long-stay residential service would not be viable into the future,” it said.
“Hiqa did note that the work and care being given to the residents at St Francis community nursing unit was exemplary, and the unit was highly commended from both a nursing and care assistant point of view, as well as for food preparation, hygiene and all other care needs,” it said.
HSE West said an increasing demand for daycare services and greater requirements for homecare packages had influenced the decision, which would facilitate more elderly people remaining in their own homes.
It said there were 28 residents, and it would continue with long-stay care until the numbers dropped to 10-15. It would then examine the possibility of transferring clients to “other” locations. Mr Hambleton said the HSE West move would also benefit private “homecare companies” which were growing in Galway as public health nurses were not being replaced.
HSE West is still maintaining nursing homes in Loughrea, Co Galway and on the Aran island of Inis Mór.