RESIDENTS AT A nursing home which was later shut down by the HSE were so short of food that HIQA inspectors had to bring in basic essentials, inspection reports show.
Avondale Nursing Home in Callan, Co Kilkenny, was taken over and its residents discharged by the HSE in July after a series of visits found serious shortcomings in its care practices. There was found to be a lack of management, with inspectors informed by nurses on one occasion that both the person in charge and designated key senior manager were out of the country.
The reports also state that residents were unnecessarily woken in the early hours to be given medication. The final inspections which led to the home’s closure were triggered when the home’s owners began moving residents out at very short notice – falsely claiming that this had been ordered by HIQA, according to the inspection report.
When inspectors visited on July 21, they found the kitchens so short of food that they had to bring the residents meat, drinks, cereals, bread and milk. They also brought vegetables after finding only one bag of potatoes.
At the same inspection, the home’s owner was “unable to provide evidence” that residents’ possessions, money and pension books had been fully accounted for. Staff told inspectors that their salaries had not been paid.
HIQA officially closed the Avondale facility, which was once home to 33 residents, on Tuesday after cancelling its official registration. However, it had been effectively shut down in July.
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