Apr 15, 2026 | News
The Alliance – Supporting Nursing Homes met with Minister of Older Persons Kieran O’Donnell and had the opportunity to raise a number of critical issues impacting the nursing home sector at present and, most importantly, the delivery of care to older persons across Ireland.
Key discussions focused on:
- The sustainability of the Fair Deal Scheme amid rising energy and other operational costs.
- Delays in the delivery of new public nursing home beds, and the opportunity to seek out retrofits in public private partnerships.
- Workforce challenges, including recruitment, retention, and career pathways for healthcare assistants.
- The urgent need for reform of the Nursing Home Support Scheme (Fair Deal), including the introduction of a transparent, evidence-based cost of care framework. We presented The ©Rosetta Cost of Care Model as an alternative which aligns with the programme for Government.
- Ongoing Independent regulatory review of HIQA and the Office of the Chief Inspector. We stressed the importance of the final report being made widely available to the public and Oireachtas for further scrutiny in a constructive manner.
- Inequities in commercial rates applied to nursing homes via the Valuation Act 2001 and the requirement for a review of same.
We also welcomed confirmation that the Minister and the Department of Health will tomorrow announce a new support scheme for 2026, with a broader structure to the 2025 RPU Scheme, with funding of up to €25,000 per nursing home. This is a positive development and reflects sustained engagement and advocacy by the Alliance since pre-Budget discussions last year.
Whilst all of this is a step in the right direction, it is clear that broader structural reform is required to ensure the long-term sustainability of the sector. In particular, funding must move beyond basic “bed, board, and laundry” to properly reflect the true cost and complexity of care.
We look forward to continued engagement with the Minister, the Department of Health and Government to deliver meaningful reform that supports providers, protects residents, and ensures high-quality care across the system.
Mar 25, 2026 | News
The Alliance Supporting Nursing Homes addressed TDs and Senators in the AV Room at Leinster House. Special thanks to Michael Healy-Rae TD for organising the session who is a true supporter of our Alliance and a committed advocate for the nursing home sector. My thanks to colleagues from Hibernia Nursing Home Group and Carysfort Nursing Home who joined me for a substantive and timely engagement.
Topics we presented on:
- Discussed the Programme for Government and its implications for nursing homes
- Highlighted the current challenges facing the sector
- Presented a Resident First cost-of-care model (Rosetta Model) to TDs and Senators
- Spoke on the importance of HIQA – Health Information and Quality Authority and the Office of the Chief Inspector, as well as the current Independent Review to support their practice by Forvis Mazars
- Emphasised rural nursing homes projects to reclaim further bed capacity
Representation of the nursing home sector is often filtered through accountancy lenses or carried by those with no healthcare experience or qualifications. The realities of care are best articulated by those who deliver it and have clinical management experience. Policy for older persons and Nursing Homes in Ireland cannot be credibly shaped from a distance. The complexity of care, the weight of regulation, and the lived experience of residents and staff demand expertise rooted in practice, not removed from it.
We are grateful for the members of the Oireachtas and various Government Departments who attended and welcome the prospect of further Oireachtas Committee level engagement.
If the sector is to be properly understood, it must first be properly represented. That begins with those at its core, Nurses Representing Nursing Homes. The Alliance does just that.
Feb 18, 2026 | News
Shane Scanlan, CEO attended HIQA – Health Information and Quality Authority offices in Dublin for a very constructive engagement with CEO Angela Fitzgerald, Chief Inspector Designate Finbarr Colfer, and Deputy Chief Inspector for Older Persons Susan Cliffe.
The discussion provided a valuable opportunity to reflect on the current regulatory environment, the ongoing independent review of the Office of the Chief Inspector, and to explore areas of alignment and shared priorities across the sector. It also provided a positive opportunity to further develop and strengthen our working relationship.
We greatly appreciate the openness and professionalism of the engagement and look forward to continuing to work constructively with HIQA and the Office of the Chief Inspector in the months and years ahead, in support of safe, high quality care for residents in designated centres.
Feb 10, 2026 | News
Shane Scanlan, CEO, met with Minister for Older Persons, Kieran O’Donnell TD and Department of Health Ireland officials today to discuss a range of urgent policy and operational priorities for the nursing home sector in 2026. Shane was joined by Liny Raju Meparathil, Director of Nursing, Carysfort Nursing Home.
The discussion focused on practical reforms that will directly improve sustainability, fairness, and resident care, including:
- Amendments to the Nursing Home Support Scheme Act (2009) to incorporate a Cost of Care Model
- Changes to the Valuation Act (2001) as amended to remove residents’ bedrooms from commercial rates assessments, recognising that these rooms are people’s homes, not business space
- Progressing regulatory improvements with HIQA, including greater transparency on ultimate beneficiaries from nursing home operations to ensure consistent oversight across all registered providers
- The impact of NTPF deed changes to digitised contracts, and the need for an independent review mechanism where rate negotiations break down
- Workforce sustainability, including adjusting the Irish and EU 50 /50 non-EEA staffing rule to 40/60 to reflect current demand and realities facing the sector
- Increasing availability of incontinence wear from the HSE to better meet residents with higher dependency needs (4 to 6 in 24 hr period)
- Introducing another financial support scheme similar for Nursing Homes to last year’s RPU scheme which the Minister committed to progress, with details to follow
- Pressures arising from visa MAR threshold increases, auto-enrolment costs, and wider operational inflation
We also acknowledged the significant budget secured this year for the Nursing Home Sector. The priority now is ensuring those funds flow through to the nursing homes and residents who need them most.
Jan 21, 2026 | News
Shane Scanlan CEO, delivered another training session on regulatory compliance with the fantastic nursing team at Carysfort Nursing Home today.
Alliance members are experiencing very high levels of compliance with various regulators at present, and we couldn’t be prouder.
If your nursing home has training or regulatory compliance needs, contact The Alliance Care Academy today on 069 31024.
