HSE takeover of Laois nursing home follows repeated HIQA inspection failures

The HSE’s takeover of Droimnín Nursing Home in Stradbally follows a year of poor HIQA inspection reports and a HSA investigation.

Droimnín Nursing Home currently houses some 39 elderly residents. Their care will now be managed by the HSE.  

In March 2025, the Leinster Express/Laois Live reported that the Health and Safety Authority(HSA) and Gardai were called in to investigate the unexpected death of a resident, a woman in her 80s, at the home on St Patrick’s Day.

HIQA carried out an inspection a month later in April which resulted in a negative inspection report being published in July 2025.   

“Inspectors reviewed unsolicited information received by the Chief Inspector. The information received pertained to concerns regarding the governance and management of the centre, the quality of care provided to residents including social care, the supervision of staff and the management of complaints. This information was found to be fully substantiated on this inspection,” the report noted. 

Two Health Information and Quality Authority(HIQA) Inspectors visited the facility and discovered non compliance in eight of nine regulations.  

Pictured above: HIQA's inspection findings in April 2025

One resident said they refrained from using their call bell in recognition of how busy staff were. Another resident emphasised how good the staff were but said they couldn’t get their morning care that morning due to a lack of staff, the report stated.  

“In one instance, inspectors had to request that a staff member come to the ground floor communal area to assist a resident who required assistance,” the report noted. 

The inspectors reported that: “Residents told inspectors that their rights were not always upheld, including limited choice around their daily routines such as when to get up from bed or to shower. Residents were not always supervised in communal areas and call bells were not within reach for some residents, leaving them unable to request help when needed. This posed a risk to their safety and did not uphold their dignity.” 

READ ALSO: HSE takes charge of Laois nursing home after HIQA court application

Droimnín Nursing Home issued a statement after the report was published. They said:  “Our own internal audit, conducted prior to the inspection, had already identified a dip in some administrative procedures. We were actively addressing these at the time, and this was fully acknowledged in the latest inspection. The areas of non-compliance were specifically linked to the onboarding and training of new staff members - an issue which has since been fully resolved.”

We remain dedicated to continuous improvement and ensuring that both our care and administrative practices reflect the trust placed in us by our residents and their families.” 

The Leinster Express/Laois Live looked back on the previous five HIQA inspection reports for Droimnin Nursing Home at the time. There were mixed results. 

An inspection in November 2024 found the home to be compliant in all but one of 12 categories and substantially compliant in two areas. In May of 2024, the home was compliant in 21 of 22 categories. In September of 2023, an inspection found the home non compliant in eight of 19 categories and substantially compliant in eight more. Then in May of 2023, the home was non compliant in eight of 16 categories and substantially compliant in three. Finally, in January of 2023, the home was found to be non compliant in four of 16 categories and substantially compliant in four more. 

HiQA carried out an unannounced inspection on June 25, 2025. It found the nursing home non compliant in eight of ten regulations during the inspection. 

Pictured above: HIQA's inspection findings in June 2025

In August 2025, another unannounced HIQA inspection took place at Droimnín Nursing Home. On that occasion the home was found to be non compliant in eight of the nine regulations cited in the report.  

Pictured above: HIQA's inspection findings in August 2025

A report of an unannounced HIQA Inspection from September 7 and 8, 2025 was published in January this year. It found non compliance in eight of ten regulations. 

During the September inspection, residents were reportedly left unsupervised near a large open window, remained in communal areas 'until the early hours of the morning', and a 'failure of leadership' left residents 'at significant risk to their welfare and safety'.

Inspectors noted a Covid-19 outbreak at the facility, and that staff 'were uncertain about the overall status of the outbreak' and what parts of the nursing home were experiencing this outbreak.

Inspectors found errors and issues with the documentation of medication, care plans, staffing rosters and incident reports. Meal plans required by patients with diabetes, malnutrition and those at risk of choking were not complied with. 

Diagnostic blood and urine tests on residents with deteriorating health were reportedly delayed or not carried out, the report outlined. Staff were reportedly unaware of one resident's pressure sores due to failures in a direct chain of management.

The monitoring of another resident with a cardiac condition was not carried out, despite signs of deterioration, the report claimed. 

Pictured above: HIQA's inspection findings in September 2025

One incident in which a resident sustained a serious injury had not been appropriately documented or reviewed by management, and the incident record did not align with the information submitted to the Chief Inspector, nor with the nursing notes or the verbal account of the incident provided to inspectors, the report found. 

Staff rosters were incorrect over four days of this inspection, while a staff handover sheet to ensure that staff had access to up-to-date information on care was found to contain incorrect and inaccurate information, it noted. 

The inspection prompted HIQA to make a Section 59 application under the Health Act 2007 at Portlaoise District Court on September 15, 2025. The application sought to remove the nursing home from the nursing home register. 

The case was adjourned to Portlaoise District Court on September 18 when Judge Andrew Cody suggested both HIQA and the nursing home provider should engage in mediation to try and resolve the issues.  It was listed for hearing on November 11 and then re-entered on January 14 and then listed for hearing on February 4, 2026 when the application was granted to HIQA on consent. 

Droimnín Nursing Home was the focus of national media attention at the height of the Covid 19 pandemic when an outbreak in January of 2021 tragically resulted in the deaths of 18 of its 65 residents.

The HSE will now run the nursing home until alternative arrangements are put in place.