Empty beds may close nursing homes
Delegates at the AGM of the Irish Nursing Homes Organisation (INHO) in Wexford were told that 4,000 people could lose their jobs in the sector unless tax incentives to set up new centres were scrapped.
The workers want an end to the “short-sighted and false economy” of health board policies. They say much-needed hospital beds must be freed up by putting elderly patients who are not in need of hospital care into nursing homes.
Chairman of the INHO, Sean Collins, said the cost of keeping an elderly person who was not ill in hospital care was a false economy given the comparative cost of private nursing home care.
“Elderly patients are now being kept in hospitals for longer periods even when they are fit to be discharged, which is undoubtedly a contributory factor to the hospital beds crisis,” said Mr Collins.
The lack of patients in private nursing homes also prompted delegates to criticise what they called “contradictory” Government policy which is enforcing health cuts while allowing tax incentives in the form of capital allowances for new nursing homes.
The Annual Nursing Home Review shows that occupancy levels in private nursing homes have fallen by 6% in the last three years. The future looks bleak for the sector, said INHO chief executive, Paul Costello.
“In 1998, the Government introduced tax breaks for all nursing home developments with the intention of creating more beds to satisfy the increasing demand. This has resulted in a huge growth in the number of private nursing home beds in the country,” he said.
“This growth no longer makes sense in the context of vacant beds. If this continues we believe there will be forced nursing home closures.
Over 100 private nursing homes may close between now and 2011, resulting in 4,000 redundancies. The INHO believes the Government should stop nursing home development tax incentives immediately,” Mr Costello added.
The area of capital allowances is one which is being examined in consultation with the Department of Finance, Junior Health Minister, Ivor Callely, said yesterday. He said health boards were glad to work together with private nursing homes wishing to diversify their services and provide respite or rehabilitation care.
