Heated scenes at recent meeting for Nenagh Community Nursing Unit

Last Friday night, a meeting was held at the Scouts Hall in Nenagh to discuss the latest updates concerning the Nenagh Community Nursing Home.

This is a topic that has seen significant attention over the past number of months due to a lack of clarity around what the new premises was set to be used for.

The unit was initially built to replace Nenagh’s St Conlon’s Nursing Home as a newer, more fit-for-purpose facility and the belief was that residents and staff would be able to transition from the old nursing home to this new facility.

It was then announced in March of this year that the new €23 million nursing home was set to be repurposed as a stepdown facility for UHL to alleviate overcrowding issues there.

This was met with huge uproar in Nenagh with thousands taking to the streets in Nenagh to protest the decision.

The initial reaction in March from SIPTU organiser Mark Quinn was:
“The reports that the newly-built facility will not be used for its original purpose is also of grave concern to St Conlon’s CNU residents and the wider community.

“The idea that a private company will provide services out of a state-of-the-art building, which has been built using significant state funding, is extraordinary.”

Now the latest announcement, which prompted the meeting on Friday night, was that the unit had been leased out to Private Nursing Home company, Bartra Healthcare.

Members of the public were at the meeting on Friday evening alongside local public representatives, Michael Lowry TD, Cllr Seamus Morris, Cllr Phyll Bugler, Cllr Pamela Quirke, Cllr Fiona Bonfield and Cllr Louise Morgan Walsh.

Cllr Morgan Walsh advised attendees that Alan Kelly TD, who has been a significant voice throughout the campaign to “save Nenagh community nursing unit”, unfortunately could not be in attendance as he was away on annual leave.
Cllr Seamus Morris took up the microphone first to thank people for attending and explain his position on where things stood.
Cllr Morris said: “As we all know, there was a tender process for the unit and it seems now that Bartra Healthcare has won that contract.

“However, when I reached out to the HSE this week to obtain a copy of the contract, they told me that they couldn’t give this to me as the tender process is still live.
“However that doesn’t seem to be the case as Michael Lowry published a statement this week saying that Bartra had actually won the tender and would be taking on a 12-month contract.
“This has become the wrong solution for a bigger problem of overcrowding in UHL but the fight isn’t over yet.”

Michael Lowry TD was next to take the microphone. Mr Lowry has previously faced backlash from members of the Save Nenagh Community Nursing Unit committee due to sharing updates on social media and in the news before sharing it directly with the committee. These members were present at the Friday meeting and their anger was palpable even before he started speaking.

“Over the past number of weeks I’ve been trying to find the facts here,” said Mr Lowry.
“I’m saying what I’ve been told. There is a similar facility at Beaumont Lodge in Dublin and it is my understanding that they want to replicate what they’ve done there.
“The first patients are due to arrive in the middle of this month and this unit will be a consultant-led private step down facility for UHL.
“I have been assured that North Tipperary patients will be prioritised, no people with addiction problems will be housed here and that the unit will transfer back to the HSE after the 12 month contract concludes in September 2025.”

Members of the crowd began to shout out their frustrations whilst Mr Lowry was speaking to which he answered, “A lot of people jumped up and want to shoot the messenger.
“The reason why we are where we are is the appalling standards in UHL.
“I am a public representative, I can’t turn water into wine.”

Members of the public took to the microphone next to express their concerns:
“If I was attending a meeting about UHL, I would be cheering this man but this isn’t about UHL it’s about St Conlons,” said one attendee.
“Where are these peoples rights? They paid their taxes and deserve respect. I urge you to fight for them, these people haven’t long left, will you give them their place?”

Cllr Morgan Walsh spoke next, sharing her point of view as a healthcare professional. “Nursing home beds are like gold dust right now. I did my own research before coming to this meeting and found online that Bartra have began advertising for staff on the job website indeed.com.
“The contract might be for 12 months on paper but who’s to say they won't look for an extension?”

Anna Treacy from the Nenagh committee and SIPTU said: “My fear is Conlon’s was never going to open and they’ll close St Conlon’s.

"We were due to meet with the workplace relations commission but they cancelled the meeting at the last minute due to annual leave and said that they would set a new date to meet with us.
“But by the time the new meeting is set up, Bartra will already be in the unit and patients will be starting to come in.”

One of the organisers of the meeting, who works at St Conlon’s nursing home spoke directly to Mr Lowry next:
“Why is it that you continue to insult us by announcing this on the radio or on social media but you can’t pick up the phone to tell us first?
“I told you how upset we were when this was announced on social media, why do you do this?”

Mr Lowry responded “It is up to the WRC to work with you, I believe in putting the facts I get in front of the public.
“The WRC need to get back to people directly.
“The reason I’m here is because I care. I will convey your disappointment back to the HSE.”

The microphone was passed back to the audience and a woman spoke next: “The measure of a society is how we treat our most vulnerable.
“The problem in UHL has been going on for years, surely one more year isn’t going to fix the issues, two more years, even three more years probably won’t solve this.”
A man who works in St Conlon’s nursing home then took up the microphone: “It was like a balloon that had been popped with a knitting needle the day it was announced that we wouldn’t be moving to the new unit.
“Management have not engaged with us and the mental health of our staff is terrible right now.
“I would actually nearly get emotional thinking about the day we were told the news.
“We were told to have empathy with the staff in UHL and we do of course but where’s the care for the staff of St Conlon’s and where the care for the residents?”