A local nursing home operator says large private firms are cherry picking the more lucrative markets.
An ESRI study shows 14 large operators provide around 40 per cent of all beds in the sector nationally while over 50 nursing homes have closed nationwide in last 6 years
Sandra Farrell is owner and operations manager of 3 small nursing homes in Tipperary.
She told Tipp Today the figures come as no surprise but said the larger operators are being selective about where they set up.
“Say Patterson’s – one of the nursing homes in Roscrea that I operate – last year our Fair Deal rate was €955. So if you go to Dublin for a 24 bed they could be getting €1,400 or €1,500. So that price difference is about a half a million in funding, the price discrepancies. So that’s the issue and it always has been the issue. No wonder the larger companies are coming in but they only want to develop in the bigger areas where the Fair Deal rate is higher.”
