Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

At this moment we face into a serious problem as regards nursing homes and care homes. There are closures happening all over the State. Thirty-four have closed with a loss of more than 1,000 beds, and there have been four closures in Dublin with a loss of 169 places. This is not a time for empty words. It is not a time to simply nod this motion through and then slink off for the summer recess and hope it goes away in September. We know it will not go away. A significant number of nursing homes are reporting huge operating losses, and that has raised concerns about the viability of the sector.

Five weeks ago a very close relative of mine passed away in a nursing home and we had the honour of being there with her in the last three or four days. I cannot commend enough the entire staff, from the cleaning staff right the way through to the nurses and the care workers. They were absolutely incredible.

We have all received emails from distressed families of residents whose homes are at risk of closing, like this one:

When my mom got sick I made her a promise that I would look after her and do what I could to make her comfortable and be there for her no matter what, like she did for me. I intend to keep that promise.

When the time came to make the decision of putting my mom in residential care she wanted to be as close to us as possible and that's when we chose Beaumont. Upon seeing Beaumont we knew that was the home for her.

The staff are fantastic, she loves them, she has made friends and has a routine, she's happy and content and settled there. Ministers, Taoiseach and Tánaiste, I ask you please to intervene in the funding of the fair deal scheme as it needs further funding to remain sustainable.

I recently met with migrant nurses' representatives and they told us of the huge difficulties they have trying to work in this State and in this sector. The barriers being placed in their way by this State are nothing short of bizarre given the dire need for qualified and skilled nurses and care workers. I appeal to the Minister and the Minister of State to address that as a matter of urgency. I know we had them in the Houses recently expressing their concerns.

Our motion is clear. It is time for action and time to support the nursing and care home sector and its workers because the most vulnerable in our society rely on us to do that work.

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