Nov 1, 2026 | News
Shane Scanlan, CEO of The Alliance – Supporting Nursing Homes, has published an article entitled “Ireland Has No Shortage of Health Strategies. What it lacks is a willingness to listen to the people delivering care.”
The article raises important questions about the gap between healthcare policy development and the practical realities experienced by those delivering frontline services, particularly within Ireland’s nursing home sector.
Drawing on over 15 years of experience in nursing home care and management, Shane highlights the importance of listening to those responsible for delivering care, understanding the financial and regulatory pressures facing providers and ensuring that Government commitments translate into meaningful action.
The Alliance continues to advocate for a more equitable nursing home funding model, greater recognition of resident dependency levels and a stronger emphasis on practical solutions rather than repeated policy discussions without measurable outcomes.
The Alliance will continue to bring the experiences of independent and family-run nursing homes directly into national policy discussions.
Read the full article: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ireland-has-shortage-health-strategies-what-lacks-listen-scanlan-rtwae/
Oct 2, 2026 | News
The Alliance – Supporting Nursing Homes welcomes the reopening of Ocean View Care Home in Camp, Co. Kerry, marking a significant achievement for older people, families and the wider Dingle Peninsula community.
Following the deregistration of Ocean View in September 2024, the future of the nursing home and its 34 residential care beds was placed in serious doubt. At a time when rural nursing home capacity is already under considerable pressure, the potential permanent loss of this facility would have represented a significant setback for older people in West Kerry.
The Alliance played a central leadership role in the campaign to secure the future of Ocean View, undertaking extensive advocacy, political engagement, regulatory liaison and coordination with relevant stakeholders to ensure the facility had an opportunity to reopen.
Our CEO, Shane Scanlan, worked directly with the local community, families, staff, elected representatives and relevant State bodies throughout the process. This included coordinating public awareness campaigns, supporting community rallies, engaging with national and local media, including RTÉ, TG4 and Radio Kerry, and bringing the matter directly to the attention of Government and members of the Oireachtas.
The Alliance also provided significant professional and strategic support to the new registered provider Riada Care Ltd throughout the process, working to identify practical solutions to the challenges preventing the nursing home from returning to operation.
The reopening represents the successful outcome of a sustained campaign in which The Alliance was actively involved from the outset, demonstrating the importance of practical intervention rather than simply highlighting the difficulties facing the sector.
For rural communities, nursing homes represent far more than residential care beds. They allow older people to remain close to their families, friends and communities, provide valuable local employment and preserve essential healthcare infrastructure.
The preservation of 35 nursing home beds in West Kerry is particularly important given the increasing demand for residential care and the continuing loss of smaller independent nursing homes throughout Ireland.
We also acknowledge the determination of the local community, families, staff and elected representatives who supported the campaign and refused to accept that the loss of Ocean View should be permanent.
The Alliance is immensely proud of the leadership, advocacy and professional work we contributed towards securing this outcome. It demonstrates what can be achieved when a representative organisation moves beyond statements and takes an active role in protecting nursing home services.
Our commitment remains unchanged: to support nursing homes, protect essential residential care capacity and find practical solutions where services are at risk.
35 beds protected. A vital rural service restored. A community’s determination rewarded.
Where there is a will, there is a way.
Ciarraí Abú! 🟩🟨
Oct 1, 2026 | News
The Alliance – Supporting Nursing Homes has called for a renewed focus on Irish-owned nursing homes, domestic investment and a sustainable funding model that supports the long-term future of residential care for older people.
We believe Ireland must avoid becoming overly dependent on international investment funds to develop and operate essential nursing home services. The experience of institutional investment in the Irish property market, together with concerns regarding certain corporate ownership and financing structures within residential care, raises important questions about long-term sustainability, accountability and value for public money.
Ireland has the expertise, the businesses and the investment capacity to develop and operate its own nursing homes. What is missing is a funding model that makes such investment commercially sustainable.
The Alliance believes that independent and family-run nursing homes play a vital role in their communities, providing employment, supporting local economies and ensuring older people can receive care close to their families.
We are particularly concerned about investment structures involving substantial management fees, service charges and complex offshore arrangements, where public funding intended to support resident care may ultimately contribute to financial returns outside the State. Such arrangements warrant appropriate transparency and scrutiny, particularly where services are substantially funded through the Nursing Homes Support Scheme.
Taxpayers’ money should primarily support the delivery of high-quality care, sustainable services and genuine value for the public.
Through our proposed Rosetta Cost-of-Care Model, The Alliance is advocating for a transparent, evidence-based funding framework that reflects the actual cost of providing care, resident dependency levels, regulatory requirements and the financial realities facing nursing home operators.
A properly structured funding model would give Irish businesses and investors greater confidence to develop new nursing homes, protect existing capacity and invest in local communities without relying excessively on large international investment structures.
Our position is clear. Ireland should be creating the conditions for home-grown businesses to invest in the future of care for older people, rather than allowing the direction of the sector to be determined primarily by access to international institutional capital.
Ireland has the capability. We have the capital. What we need is the right funding model.
The Alliance believes Rosetta can form an important part of that solution.
Sep 1, 2026 | News
The Alliance – Supporting Nursing Homes has launched “Does Politics Care?”, a new political podcast series bringing the challenges facing Ireland’s nursing home sector directly into the national political conversation.
Hosted by our CEO, Shane Scanlan, the series features open and direct conversations with elected representatives from across the political spectrum, examining Government policy, the future of residential care, Fair Deal funding, regulatory oversight and Ireland’s preparedness for an ageing population.
Unlike traditional political interviews, the podcast focuses on the practical realities facing nursing home operators, residents and their families. Guests are challenged on existing Government commitments, the sustainability of independent nursing homes and, importantly, what practical solutions they are prepared to support.
Listen to Does Politics Care on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2plOflt6R9jCpXmSbxMP1t?si=f3207f0c48324bf0
Aug 1, 2026 | News
The Alliance – Supporting Nursing Homes met with Minister for Older Persons, Kieran O’Donnell TD, as part of our ongoing engagement with Government ahead of Budget 2027.
During the meeting, we formally presented our Pre-Budget Submission, setting out practical proposals to address the financial and operational challenges facing independent and family-run nursing homes, including reform of the Fair Deal funding model, recognition of resident dependency levels and measures to address increasing operating costs.
We also addressed, in the strongest possible terms, our serious dissatisfaction with the Minister’s handling of correspondence submitted by The Alliance on behalf of independent nursing home operators. We made it abundantly clear that the repeated failure to provide substantive responses to serious representations is unacceptable and falls well short of the standards of accountability, transparency and professional courtesy reasonably expected of a Government Minister.
The Minister’s responsibility to engage with the sector cannot reasonably be discharged through a few short meetings alone annually while important written correspondence remains unanswered. Engagement without appropriate follow through is not meaningful accountability, and smaller independent nursing home operators should not have to repeatedly pursue a Minister simply to obtain a response to legitimate concerns.
These concerns relate specifically to the Minister’s handling of correspondence and should not be confused with our wider working relationships. The Alliance continues to engage constructively with the Department of Health and relevant State agencies, and remains committed to advancing practical solutions for the nursing home sector.
We will continue to work constructively with Government, but we will not lower our expectations of ministerial accountability simply because we represent smaller independent operators.
Jul 25, 2026 | News
Today we published our 2027 pre-budget submission and submitted it to the Minister of Older Persons Kieran O’Donnell prior to our pre-budget meeting with him on the 11th of August 2026.
VIEW BUDGET SUBMISSION HERE
Jul 3, 2026 | News
🎙️ Listen to CEO Shane Scanlans interview on Midlands 103 FM on the Independent Forvis Mazars review of HIQA’s nursing home inspection process.👇 (Begins 13mins 30secs)
Link to interview: Week 27 – Friday – Midlands Today with Will Faulkner – Midlands 103 The interview shares views on the report, wider issues and sets out the factual timeline that led to its publication.
If the report was ready to publish on the 2nd of July, it raises an important question as to why it was not published sooner.
There is also an irony that should not be overlooked. The independent review was commissioned because of investigative journalism by RTÉ. One year later, it was investigative journalism that established the review had already been completed and asked why it remained unpublished by the Government.
The publication of this report is not the end of the conversation. It is the beginning.
The Alliance fully supports HIQA – Health Information and Quality Authority in implementing the recommendations of this independent review. The priority now is turning its findings into meaningful action that benefits residents, families and providers alike.
Jun 3, 2026 | News
The Alliance – Supporting Nursing Homes attended Department of Health – Ireland buildings for a stakeholder forum in relation to Adult Safeguarding in the Health and Social Care Sector.
This was chaired by Assistant Secretary in The Department of Health Siobhán Mc Ardle.
Opening addresses came from both The Minister of Older Persons Kieran O’Donnell TD and Anne O’Connor CEO of the Health Service Executive
Safeguarding legislation will be coming into effect by 2028.
The Alliance is here to assist you, give us a call directly at 06931024 / 0879339429
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.
