Serious concerns raised over lack of long-term community beds in Cork city

A Cork advocate for the elderly has highlighted how a woman with health issues has been unable to visit her husband in a nursing home for 10 weeks due to the distance she would have to travel to get to the facility.

Paddy O’Brien said the woman’s plight has raised serious concerns about the lack of long- term community beds in Cork city.

This, in turn, is leaving elderly sick people with no option but to reside in nursing homes long distances from their homes and loved ones — who are then often unable to visit their relatives.

Worse than covid

“I spoke to a lady last week whose husband is in a nursing home 20 miles from Cork,” said Mr O’Brien.

“[The woman] is unable to take the bus because of a serious hip problem, and she has not seen him for 10 weeks. She said it has been worse than what covid was for them.

“There is now a very serious problem being experienced by the relatives of elderly people in Cork. They are finding it exceptionally difficult to procure long-term nursing home care in the Cork area.

“Over the last few years, elderly people have been sent out of Cork city to towns such as Mallow, Clonakilty, Kinsale, Midleton, and Fermoy and many of those who I have spoken to were never in these towns before,” Mr O’Brien said. 

“I have to say that I know people are getting great care by caring staff at these nursing homes but the fact is that a man is being forced to separate from his wife and vice versa. It’s totally unacceptable sending elderly people miles away from their loved ones.

“Many people are suffering directly as the result of the great shortage of long-term beds and it’s happening all over and it has been going on for years and nothing is happening about it.” 

Mr O’Brien said it was most unfair to treat the aged this way and send them to a place where they don’t know anybody and have no visitors and no friends and are “sad and lonely”.

“The HSE must look at this serious situation and do more for long-term care beds. Everything must be done to bring people back, and this should be their policy, from the various towns throughout the county of Cork,” he said.

Failing

Mr O’Brien said that although the population of senior citizens has never been as high as it is currently, services have not improved and that there is an inadequate number of public health nurses and home support services to cover the number of elderly, sick people.

“We are failing our elderly, sick people and the HSE is making life difficult for couples when a person who is sick is sent 20 miles [32km] away from home.”

Figures released to The Echo by Cork Kerry Community Healthcare show that in Cork city, there are 100 long-term care beds at Ballincollig Community Nursing Unit, 65 long-term care beds at Heather House Community Nursing Unit, 89 long-term care beds at Farranlea Community Nursing Unit, and 75 long-term care beds at St Finbarr’s Hospital.

A spokesperson said there are 916 long-term beds available in community hospitals in Cork and Kerry and while Cork Kerry Community Healthcare endeavours to provide suitable residential care as close to people’s homes, families, and preferred locations as possible, long-term beds are allocated on a priority and availability basis.

Investment

The spokesperson said investment is being made to upgrade the quality of accommodation available and where possible provide additional beds, which has resulted in a temporary reduction of beds at some locations. Cork Kerry Community Healthcare expects the majority of these beds to reopen and comply with new regulations over the next year.

“Some of the work underway to improve access to public nursing home beds in Cork City includes the 60-bed extension at Heather House in Gurranabraher. Work also continues on new Community Nursing Units at St Finbarr’s Health Campus in Cork city (105 beds) and in Midleton (50 beds). These will replace existing beds in buildings which are no longer suitable,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson also noted that there are about 3,451 private nursing home beds in Cork and Kerry.