Nursing home warned of risks

The HSE facility from which an 87-year-old man disappeared on Friday before being found drowned in a nearby pier was warned more than two years ago that its policies could lead to tragedy.

Killybegs Community Hospital in Donegal was told in a September 2009 Health Information Quality Authority report that its “open door policy” meant vulnerable residents “may leave unescorted” and without staff noticing.

The health watchdog’s report said this was a “potential risk” to safety that needed to be addressed.