'Safe staffing levels' demanded after The Residence Portlaoise crisis

Ireland's biggest trade union has demanded that the Government act swiftly to ensure safe staffing levels in private nursing home sector without delay in the wake of the crisis in care uncovered in Laois and Dublin.

SIPTU made the call following RTÉ Investigates programme which the union claims has left many working in the sector "completed shattered and angry" over the way older people have been treated at The Residence Portlaoise and a sister home in Dublin.

The SIPTU Sector Organiser is Liz Cloherty. She commented in a statment issued to the Leinster Express / Laois Live.

“The devastating reality is that the Government has effectively outsourced the care of our elderly to a for-profit sector primarily concerned with the bottom line for years and we are seeing the fruits of that now before our very eyes. A failed Government policy has led to this scandal, we have to rethink how the sector is run as a matter of urgency.

"The absolutely shocking revelations laid bare the systemic violation of our most vulnerable citizens. It has damaged public trust in privatised care systems, and rightly so. The programme exposed how profit-driven operators routinely deny residents essentials like basic hygiene products to boost their bottom line. This isn’t care, it’s all-round exploitation.

“Most damning was seeing how chronic understaffing and a lack of regulation, directly caused by poverty wages in the sector has shattered the morale of care workers while compromising patient safety. It has to stop. This is the inevitable result of a State that refuses to properly value care work,” she said.

Ms Cloherty said SIPTU has written to the Minister of State for Older People, Kieran O'Donnell TD, to seek an urgent meeting to deal with issues arising from these revelations.

READ ALSO: Minister says The Residence breached admissions ban

Emeis Ireland, which has apologised for what has happened, owns the two nursing homes. It is owned by a French firm that has already been embroiled in controversy over shortcomings at care homes in France when it was called Orpea.

Emeis Ireland opened The Residence in 2023 after it had taken over another Laois home - the Kilminchy Lodge in Portlaoise.

Neal McGroarty, CEO of Emeis Ireland, spoke about plans for the residence when it opend.

“I am extremely pleased to see our state-of-the-art 101-bed nursing home already providing vital, personalised nursing and residential care services to our residents and the local community.

“With plans to provide employment to over 100 skilled staff, The Residence Portlaoise is also offering rewarding and meaningful career possibilities at a time when Laois, and indeed Ireland, increasingly needs vital nursing home care for a growing and ageing population.

“Our expansion plans enable us to continue to foster the highest standards of care, services and links with local communities and other stakeholders, including the HSE and acute hospitals, as we move forward. Our staff are at the heart of everything we do, and we are proud to offer a workplace where they can thrive professionally while making a difference in the lives of our residents.”

Emeis said the Residence Portlaoise is a "state-of-the-art purpose-built" nursing home set in large grounds within a short distance of Portlaoise town centre.