by Martina | Apr 24, 2024 | News
The Alliance was delighted to attend the HIQA – Health Information and Quality Authority office’s in Dublin today for the launch of Lexicon for Social Care
The Lexicon provides a list of commonly-used words relevant to social care, along with a definition. The use of standardised language is important for clarity and consistency.
Spokesperson Shane Scanlan relayed to representatives of HIQA and The Office of The Chief Inspector that a further Lexicon is now required As Gaeilge for residents, staff and registered providers of nursing homes who speak Irish on a daily basis.
by Martina | Mar 13, 2024 | News
The Alliance had the privilege of participating in a multi-stakeholder National Policy Dialogue Event on the Long-term Care Sector in Ireland, in collaboration with the World Health Organization and members of the European Commission at the Department of Health buildings.
The event was excellently moderated by Stefania Ilinca of the World Health Organisation
We look forward to further collaboration for the benefit of Irelands Ageing Population, our workforce and all organisations that provide care services.
by Martina | Feb 29, 2024 | News
Listen to the RTÉ Drivetime Report on our Expo in Thomond Park that took place in February 2024:
Listen Here
by Martina | Feb 28, 2024 | News
We had our Inaugural “Shoulder to Shoulder” Nursing Home Expo on February 28th 2024 in Thomond Park Limerick. The Alliance fervently champions the cause of Nursing Homes and their residents, tirelessly advocating for their members through continuous engagement with Government Officials, the Department of Health, the National Treatment Purchase Fund, the Health Information and Quality Authority and numerous other stakeholders in the nursing home sector.
The Expo was led by keynote speakers such as Minister of Older Persons Mary Butler and Deputy Chief Inspector Susan Cliffe, as well as many more voices from the Nursing Home Sector.
Thanks to Dr Ciara Kelly from Newstalk for being our MC on the day!
by Martina | Feb 5, 2024 | News
Nursing home providers, health professionals and politicians will gather at Thomond Park in Limerick on February 28th for a conference focusing on the future of nursing homes and the challenges faced by the sector.
Mary Butler TD, Minister of State with responsibility for Mental Health and Older People, will perform the opening address at The Alliance “Shoulder To Shoulder” Nursing Home Expo 2024, which is being hosted by Ireland’s newest and second largest trade association for nursing homes with the support of The Shannon Region and Conference Bureau and Guerin Media.
The closure of 60 nursing home closures during the past five years, the dangers of a multinational operator-dominated sector and the need for a revised funding model in light of Ireland’s ageing population are amongst the key issues set to dominate the conference.
The one-day inaugural event will feature an address entitled ‘Solutions for an ageing population’ by Sinn Féin Health spokesperson David Cullinane ahead of a political panel discussion chaired by Newstalk presenter, former GP and columnist Dr. Ciara Kelly and featuring Michael McNamara TD (Independent), Patricia Ryan TD (Sinn Féin spokesperson for Older People), Senator Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fáil) and Richard O’Donoghue TD (Independent).
Susan Cliffe, Deputy Chief Inspector of HIQA, and Auriol Kelly, Business Manager for PTSB, will address the key nursing home industry issues of regulation and finance, while a panel discussion centering on the importance of further education will feature contributions from Niamh Condon of Dining With Dignity, Jonathan Murphy of Griffith College, Wendy Blakely of Strategic Thinking, and Carmel Kelly and Clodagh Killeen of LHP Skillnet. There will also be a few surprise guests on the day providing insights on leadership and team building.
“Nursing homes are at a critical juncture and it’s time for change” commented Shane Scanlan, CEO of The Alliance Supporting Nursing Homes.
Mr. Scanlan, who is the Director of Nursing for a small family-owned nursing home in County Kerry, added, “A significant number of nursing homes have closed since 2018 and while the funding model afforded to Nursing Homes has served its purpose for a period since its introduction in 2009 with the establishment of the Fair Deal scheme, we have reached a tipping point for the sector where we must decide the changes required to adequately fund the care of Ireland’s increasingly ageing population.”
“As a group of people who actively works within the sector, The Alliance membership believes official representation of our sector must improve and should comprise of those directly working in the industry,” he continued. “We are seeing consolidation in the nursing home market from large operators which take a huge percentage of nursing home beds presently and, most likely, into the future if the current trend persists. A blended model of independent, public, voluntary and private equity funded operators is favoured over the sector being controlled by 8 to 15 large multinational operators, which would be detrimental for an ageing population.”
Mr. Scanlan said recent reports from HIQA and the ESRI have highlighted how the current funding model is no longer fit-for-purpose and has led to regional inequalities in funding with a widening of the gap between the number of beds per capita in rural areas compared to that of Dublin and the commuter belt counties.
“The Alliance is fighting for a cost of care model to be introduced where the funding in relation to residents’ care follows the individual resident on a case-by-case basis and is centred on their care needs which, in turn, would adequately fund nursing homes for all residents under their care,” he explained.
“Community-based nursing homes are no different to other local services in terms of their socio-economic benefit to the communities in which they operate,” stated Mr. Scanlan. “They allow for people to be cared for in their communities and create substantial employment which has a positive knock-on impact for local suppliers. Community-based nursing homes provide an added incentive for government to support the sector and we are very much looking forward to hearing Minister Butler outline the Government’s plans to deal with the key issues affecting our sector.”
Visit www.theallianceirl.com for more details on The Alliance “Shoulder To Shoulder” Nursing Home Expo 2024 at Thomond Park, Limerick, on Wednesday, February 28th.
Article by Dunphy Communications from Dunphy Communications
by Martina | Jan 26, 2024 | News
The Alliance had an exciting and productive meeting on the 25th of January in Leinster House with Minister of Older Persons Mary Butler TD and officials from the Department of Health – Ireland.
Matters discussed were:
1. Update from The Alliance Members
2. Findings from recent reports from the ESRI, HIQA, other independent reports
3. The Nursing Home Resident Safety Improvement (RSI) Scheme
4. The National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) – new funding models for Nursing Homes
5. New salary thresholds for Health Care Assistants and Home Support Workers on VISA’s
6. Planning for an ageing population 2024 – 2031
7. Further Educational Opportunities for HCA Staff
8. Commission on Care of Older People
We are thrilled to have engaged in meaningful conversations about the nursing home sector and look forward to future collaborations in 2024 with the Minister and the Department of Health.
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by Martina | Jan 11, 2024 | News
Spokesperson Shane Scanlan was on Live 95fm to discuss the challenges facing the nursing home sector at present.
Click Here to Listen
by Martina | Nov 14, 2023 | News
The Alliance, Ireland’s newest trade association dedicated to representing the Nursing Home Sector, in collaboration with our events partners Guerin Media is thrilled to introduce the inaugural “Shoulder to Shoulder” Nursing Home Expo. This event is set to unfold at the remarkable Thomond Park Conference Centre in Limerick on Wednesday, February 28th, 2024.
We are delighted that so many organizations are attending and exhibiting at the Nursing Home Alliance Expo. Special thanks to our new sponsor,
Vista Career Solutions.
Web: www.vistacareersolutions.com
Email: hiring@vcsnursing.com | Phone: 089 4288675
The Alliance fervently champions the cause of Nursing Homes and their residents, tirelessly advocating for their members through continuous engagement with Government Officials, the Department of Health, the National Treatment Purchase Fund, the Health Information and Quality Authority and numerous other stakeholders in the nursing home sector.
The “Shoulder to Shoulder” Nursing Home Expo is a dedicated platform designed to offer solutions and foster networking opportunities for those who play a vital role in the care of our elderly loved ones. Having access to comprehensive information is invaluable for making informed decisions.
The Expo will be led by keynote speakers as well as many more voices from the Nursing Home Sector, with a few surprise guests.
Please join us in February at Thomond Park and be part of this transformative event to shape the future of the Nursing Home Sector
by Martina | Oct 19, 2023 | News
The Alliance Support Network for Nursing Homes had very positive engagement session today with Chief Inspector Carol Grogan and Deputy Chief Inspector Susan Cliffe. It was great to have an honest transparent conversation on the nursing home industry at present. It was also very evident that we have a lot in common regarding the positive outcomes we want for Nursing Homes and our residents. We look forward to engaging with the Chief Inspectors Office again on behalf our Nursing Homes.
by Martina | Oct 11, 2023 | News
Health Budget 2024: Government miscalculations will lead to further nursing home closures
The Alliance Support Network for Nursing Homes has stated Budget 2024 is a miscalculation by Government that will not address the cost of care crisis affecting nursing home care, and will lead to further closures of nursing homes in 2024.
Reacting to Budget 2024, Spokesperson Shane Scanlan said: “The Government have allocated additional €45 million committed to nursing home care under Budget 2024. This is a total miscalculation and nowhere near the actual amount required to tackle the cost of care crisis within our sector. Government miscalculations in the past 3 years has already resulted in the closure of twenty-nine private and voluntary nursing homes the past three years with the loss of 882 nursing home beds. Unfortunately Budget 2024 is merely kicking the can down the road for many nursing homes struggling for survival and many more closures will occur”
Shane Scanlan highlighted that “The UCD School of social policy pointed out that after the 2008 crash that global financial factors and processes interacting with Irish Government policy, in the absence of stabilising countermeasures, exacerbated house prices and volatility in the private sector including house supply. We now unfortunately have a housing crisis. Successive governments have not since learned from this and our current government is taking the same approach now during a cost of care crisis for the Private Nursing Home sector. It is our solid prediction that it will result in a Nursing Home bed crisis very shortly. The public are already aware of the huge delays in accessing nursing home care right now. The recent closures of nursing homes is impacting upon hospital capacity to facilitate timely discharges for older persons back into community care. All this is happening right now due to the absence of appropriate funding to stabilise the sector for residents under our care now and over the next few years. The current approach from Government will not meet the needs of an ageing population. Confidence needs to be injected into the sector to ensure the future investment in additional nursing home beds nationally. We are asking the Government to make the necessary fundamental changes in legislation to redefine how the Nursing Home Support Scheme works. The scale of this task is substantial, but it needs to be tackled head on by Government right now for our ageing population and the survival of our nursing homes”
On a positive note Shane Scanlan added: “We were very happy to see a dedicated fund announced by Minister Butler to support nursing homes with regulatory requirements. Our Alliance highlighted the need for such a fund in a pre-budget meeting with Minister Butler and Department of Health officials. The purpose of this fund is to assist smaller nursing homes struggling to meet regulatory requirements set out by the Health Information and Quality Authority. I know how hard Minister Butler worked to get this dedicated fund and our Alliance is very thankful for her efforts in relation to this”.
by Martina | Oct 2, 2023 | News
The Alliance Support Network for Nursing Homes had an engagement session at the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) offices today in Dublin.
I would like to thank CEO Fiona Brady, Sean Flood and Fiona Walsh for facilitating this meeting.
The NTPF will play a pivotal role in the implementation of future funding models for residents under our care.
The meeting had a very positive outcome and I look forward to engaging with our members on all discussed.
#workingtogether #partnerships #nursinghomes #TheAlliance #residentialcare #funding
by Martina | Sep 22, 2023 | News
The Alliance Support Network for Nursing Homes was delighted to attend a private function this morning to discuss the 2024 Sinn Féin Alternative Budget for Health
A lot of time was give for open discussion with important stakeholders in the healthcare industry both private and public.
We would like to thank David Cullinane TD and his colleagues for inviting The Alliance and allowing us contribute to the discussion on behalf of independent nursing home operators
