More nursing home beds needed, Cork CEO of Nursing Homes Ireland says

The Cork-based chief executive of Nursing Homes Ireland (NHI), Tadhg Daly, has called for the implementation of a national nursing home care policy, saying Ireland faces a “major care capacity crisis”.

Mr Daly’s comments follow the publication of a recent Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) report, which projects a minimum 60% increase in demand for long-term residential care by 2040.

The NHI is calling for a meeting with Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, the health minister, and with the Department of Health and the HSE, to discuss the implementation of a national nursing home care policy, and to collaborate to deliver the required capacity across all providers, whether public, private, or voluntary.

By 2040, the number of people aged 85 and over will have doubled. Short-stay bed requirements are projected to grow from 3,745 beds in 2022 to between 6,430 and 7,265 beds by 2040, representing a growth of between 72% and 94%.

Long-stay bed requirements are projected to grow from 29,579 beds in 2022 to between 47,590 and 53,270 beds by 2040, representing a growth of between 61% and 80%.

At the lower end of the ESRI projections, a minimum of 21,056 additional nursing home beds will be required nationwide by 2040. This equates to a minimum of 1,403 annually for the next 15 years, based on the assumption of no loss of current beds.

Mr Daly said that the implementation of a national nursing home care policy will alleviate undue pressure placed on “families, residents, staff, care providers, and the wider health service”.

“The latest ESRI projections once again confirm that Ireland is heading towards a major care capacity crisis, unless we begin co-ordinated, long-term planning now,” he said.

“We urgently need a national nursing home care policy to include public, private, and voluntary that is rights-based, person-led, and fully embedded in the wider continuum of care for older people. Critically, the challenge is not just the overall number of beds required, but where those beds will be needed.

“Planning must take account of regional need and population distribution to ensure older people can access care in or near their communities,” he added. “If we continue with a fragmented approach, the system will place unfair pressure on families, residents, staff, care providers, and the wider health service.”

The NHI will publish a new insights paper on July 15, based on a national roundtable held in February. The discussion brought together providers, clinicians, advocates, and policymakers to address the serious gap in national planning for residential care.

“We must celebrate our ageing population with an ambitious plan across the continuum of care and support,” said Mr Daly. “Residential care must not be a policy afterthought.”