Gould: ‘20 beds gather dust’ in nursing home
20 out of 60 new beds at a Cork city nursing home are not being used due to inadequate staffing, the HSE has confirmed.
In January 2023, Heather House Community Nursing Unit (CNU) in Gurranabraher opened a new 60 bed wing.
Today, 40 of those beds are currently in use with plans to open the remaining 20 beds following a recruitment process.
Last month, the HSE lifted a recruitment freeze that had been in place since October 2023.
The HSE said adequate staffing levels are needed to “ensure the required complement and skill mix of staff is in place to facilitate delivery of safe and optimal care to our residents”.
Currently, Heather House CNU, which is on the Saint Mary's Health Campus, has a total of 64 beds open for the provision of long-term care to residents.
One further bed is open and reserved for isolation as per infection prevention and control guidelines.
A further 19 dementia-specific beds are currently being installed in the Primrose Unit at Heather House.
The HSE confirmed, following the completion of works, registration, and pending attainment of optimal staffing levels, the total capacity of Heather House CNU will comprise 104 beds.
This week, Sinn Féin TD for Cork North Central, Thomas Gould was critical of the Government for failing to allow recruitment that would see the 20 new beds in Heather House opened for use.
He said: “We have people stuck in hospitals, waiting for a space in a nursing home, while 20 beds gather dust in a newly renovated facility.”
Deputy Gould continued: “I know of people in Knocknaheeny who have been forced to move outside of our community because of a lack of nursing home bed space.
“There are people from Knocknaheeny living in nursing homes in Youghal and Mallow because they couldn’t get a bed in Heather House and people from Youghal and Mallow forced to move even further away.
“All the while, beds sit empty in Heather House,” the northside deputy concluded.
Cork City North West Cllr Kenneth Collins added: “It is beyond ridiculous that we have state of the art, modern nursing home beds ready to open but they’ve been left empty because of the recruitment ban.
“We warned that this would happen, and the Government completely ignored us. The knock-on cost of this to individuals and the state is huge,” added Cllr Collins.