Proposals by the Western Health Board to "downsize" a residential unit for elderly people in Co Roscommon have been rejected out of hand by the Irish Nurses Organisation.
The proposal in respect of Plunkett Home, a 60-bed unit in Boyle, was put forward by the health board in an attempt to overcome staffing difficulties.
The board also suggested, during a Labour Relations Commission hearing on unacceptable staffing levels at the unit, that some non-nursing services could be contracted out.
INO industrial relations officer Ms Noreen Muldoon said yesterday it was not clear to what extent the health board might downsize the unit, which apart from accommodating 60 elderly residents also provides day services to 25 elderly persons in the community, as well as a meals-on-wheels service. But she said any downsizing would be totally unacceptable.
She said a health board review of services, including staffing levels at the home, recommended that an additional 37 staff be taken on or that 27 beds be closed and the existing staff be left there to care for the remaining patients.
The review, carried out last year, put the cost of alternative care for the residents who would be moved if beds were closed at €600,000 a year, she said.
Ms Muldoon said this money would be better spent on additional staffing rather than moving residents out of a unit that had been their home for several years.
At present, she said, there were 12 staff nurses to care for all full-time residents and day-service users. They were completely overstretched, she said, adding that a hospice suite at the home was lying idle because of lack of staff.
The health board, when asked about its plans to scale down the size of the unit, refused to comment on the proposal. However, it said in a statement that ongoing discussions were being held with the staff and unions regarding the numbers and skill mix of staff that would be required for the service in the long term.
"Currently, the Labour Relations Commission are facilitating Western Health Board management, staff and staff representatives, in relation to this process. The management of the Western Health Board values the staff very highly and acknowledges the high-quality service that they provide to the residents of Plunkett Home," it added.