A public meeting to discuss the appointment of a receiver to the Aperee nursing home in Bantry will take place at 6pm today, Monday, at the Westlodge Hotel.
Independent Ireland leader Michael Collins said he will be inviting the Minister for Health, and the consortium behind Aperee to the meeting so they can directly address the concerns of the 35 residents, and their families.
The Cork South West TD confirmed the appointment following a meeting between the Health Service Executive and the Minister for Health in Dublin on Thursday.
‘If the receiver cannot find a buyer for the nursing home as a going concern, and it closes, it would be a huge blow for Bantry,’ said Deputy Collins, who called on the HSE and the Minister to clarify what they plan to do to protect the 35 residents living at what was formerly known as the Deerpark Nursing Home.
‘We don’t want what happened to the residents at Belgooly, which closed late last year under the same consortium, to happen to them,’ he added. ‘Those vulnerable people were left scrambling to find alternative accommodation.’
Deputy also expressed concern about the potential job losses, especially at a time when construction works were nearing completion to make the nursing home large enough, and Hiqa compliant, to accommodate 50 residents.
The TD pointed out that there isn’t sufficient accommodation available in Bantry to meet the needs of these residents so he said he is calling on the HSE to step in and take over the running of Deerpark.
