Sale of Covid-hit nursing home shows inquiry must be speedy, say bereaved families

Dealgan House Nursing Home was sold to a small nursing homes chain, Curam Healthcare, that plans to open a home in Cork next year.

The recent sale of a nursing home where 21 people died after contracting Covid is another reason why the Government needs to speed up plans for a public inquiry, say relatives of those who died there.

Dealgan House Nursing Home was sold to a small nursing homes chain, Curam Healthcare, that plans to open a home in Cork next year.

Ann Cleary, whose 95-year-old mother Florrie died last year, is one of a number of relatives of residents who died who still have outstanding issues with the home.

Many families don’t even know how exactly their loved ones died and, despite repeated requests since early last year, there are still families who can’t get their loved ones’ medical records from the home.

The deaths in homes like Dealgan House in Dundalk, Co. Louth and in Ballynoe, north Co. Cork, have led to national outrage and repeated calls for a public inquiry.

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More than 2,000 nursing home residents died, with more of them dying in the third wave than the first two together.

And that was despite two major government-initiated probes into what went wrong in the first two waves.

Senior politicians, including Micheál Martin, Leo Varadkar and Health Minister Stephen Donnelly all agree there needs to be some form of an inquiry into what happened at nursing homes.

Sinn Féin TD and Health spokesman David Cullinane’s private members motion, which was carried in the Dáil, sought a public inquiry.

Ms Cleary said: “We simply don’t know where we stand now with our outstanding complaints and issues with the former owners.

“What, for example, is going to happen to any evidence that might be needed for a full public inquiry?

“The fact that this home, where so many people died, has sold just adds to the need for things to get moving as soon as possible for a public inquiry.” 

Louth Sinn Fein TD Ruairí Ó Murchú said: “The sale of Dealgan House underlines the need for the government to start progressing with the public inquiry into nursing homes deaths during the pandemic.

“There is a huge amount of sensitive data in Dealgan House that needs to be preserved as soon as possible.

“The State needs to make sure the records are kept safe and needs to step in as a matter of urgency.

“The sale of Dealgan House makes it all the more imperative now that the government starts the preparatory work on an inquiry.

“Who is to say other homes won't be sold and then more questions will arise about the future of records and complaints with them also.” 

The details that continue to emerge about the tragic loss of life in Nursing Homes during the Covid Pandemic is devastating.

I continue to press for a public inquiry on the matter#nursinghomes #PublicInquiry #CareChampions #dealgan pic.twitter.com/MKx5sNwoY7

— Fergus O'Dowd (@Fergusodowd) July 13, 2021

Local TD Fergus O’Dowd asked Hiqa to explain the situation with former residents’ records. An official told him the law is “very clear as to the records that Dealgan House Nursing Home Ltd must maintain”.

Documents relating to a person in charge and each member of staff have to be retained for seven years, as do records for each resident of a home.

Curam Healthcare’s website says 'Curam Care Homes' currently operates homes in Dublin, Wicklow and Wexford, and will open another one in Cork next year.