Whistleblowers wrongly fired by home, says EAT

STAFF who raised concerns about the ill-treatment of patients at a private nursing home — which has since lost its licence — were constructively dismissed, trade union SIPTU has claimed.

In a statement yesterday, SIPTU said five of its members were constructively dismissed in 2009 after raising concerns over the welfare of elderly patients at Avondale Nursing Home, Callan, Co Kilkenny.

The nursing home was taken over by the Health Service Executive on Thursday after the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) obtained an interim order canceling its registration.