Accelerated closure of Beloogly nursing home leaves families 'panicked'

A DECISION to accelerate closure of a West Cork nursing home has left families ‘panicked’ and ‘desperate’ to find new homes for their loved ones. 

An urgent call has been made for the HSE to step in and oversee operations at the Aperee Living Nursing Home in Belgooly, which is to close in three weeks’ time.

The shock announcement by Aperee Living last Friday that the closure of the 68-bed facility has been accelerated to October 24th arrived like a ‘bombshell’ for many of them.

Management told them that the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) ‘is escalating the closure of the home’ and follows the company’s announcement in August that they were closing following a review of its long-term viability. 

The chief inspector of Hiqa cancelled Aperee Living Belgooly’s  registration under Section 51 of the Health Act due to the non-compliance with regulations, as outlined in a recent Hiqa report, which said it had ‘serious concerns’ around the overall management of residents’ finances and the management of pension arrangements in the centre. It also noted from the unannounced inspection on May 17th that the home was non-compliant when it came to fire precautions and staffing levels.

Siobhan O’Donovan, whose mother Judy has been a resident there since 2019, told The Southern Star that the announcement was a complete shock to her.

‘This is another injustice on top of an already injustice on the most vulnerable people in our society and the announcement has come like a bombshell to us all,’ she said.

‘We are all on various nursing home waiting lists and we have been looking for beds since August and it’s completely out of our control.’

She pointed out that a new nursing home is due to open in Carrigaline later this month, but it won’t be opened by the October 24th deadline they face. ‘We are only getting three weeks’ notice and even if they gave us another month, that could help us.’

Siobhan  also said it is a ‘disgrace’ that no one from Hiqa or the HSE has reached out to those affected and criticised Hiqa for moving the closing date.

‘I am calling  for the HSE to urgently come in and run the nursing home. I am beside myself with worry and I am now wondering what I will do with my mum between October 24th and whenever I can get her into a bed which could be  in November or after that. It will also be upsetting for her having to move to new surroundings.’

She criticised Aperee Living too as she has had no contact from them since a webtext was sent last Friday.

‘We have all been left in a vacuum of information and my priority has always been to find a bed for my mum.’

Siobhan said both Hiqa and the HSE have a duty of care to her mum and her fellow residents.

‘They have to extend the closure date at least until the new nursing home in Carrigaline opens. There are potentially beds there.’

Over 20 residents have already left since the announcement in August, while less than 22 remain  there and there are calls for it to remain open until every resident has secured a place in another nursing home.

Cork South West Independent TD Michael Collins, who raised the matter with An Taoiseach during Leaders Questions on Wednesday, said there is an ‘urgent moral and social imperative for Hiqa to direct the HSE to take on the operation of the nursing home before its impending closure.

‘Hiqa, the HSE and the Minister for Health have all been aware of the closure plans for Belgooly for some time now, yet here we are on the cusp of elderly and vulnerable residents being evicted with no clear pathway or plan put in place to help them,’ said Deputy Collins.

‘There are clear legal and regulatory options available here and they must be implemented to safeguard the residents and to give some measure of solace to the families and indeed the staff who are trying to manage the difficult situation under stress and pressure.’

Fine Gael Senator Tim Lombard said people are ‘panicking’  and ‘distressed’ and he called the whole situation ‘chaotic.’

‘The real question here is why did Hiqa change the criteria and is there something else going that we don’t know about it?’ he asked.

‘This is really unfair on the families who were given a legal assurance that there would be a six-month winding down period. Now Hiqa have rolled back on their own regulations which is unheard of and the priority here has to be the welfare of the residents.’

Cork South West FF TD Christopher O’Sullivan said his main concern is that the residents are looked after properly. 

‘My understanding is that the HSE can take in charge the running of the nursing home under Section 51 of the Health Act, due to the concerns expressed in a recent Hiqa report,’ said Deputy O’Sullivan.

A spokesperson for Aperee Living said they are continuing to work with the HSE and Nursing Homes Ireland (NHI) to try and source alternative suitable accommodation for their residents, who remain their ‘top priority’. 

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Hiqa said it does not comment on individual centres or its engagement with providers outside of published inspection reports.

A HSE spokesperson said it has not been directed to act as the registered provider for this nursing home.

‘We are aware that this private nursing home has been issued with a closure order.  We understand that this is a difficult time for residents and their families, and we will continue to assist them in identifying placements in other nursing homes in the region.’