Three Donegal nursing homes included in Emeis review

Three Donegal nursing homes are to be inspected as part of a wider review of all 27 Emeis Ireland residential homes, following the RTÉ Investigates exposé into alleged abuse and neglect in some of its facilities in counties Laois and Dublin.

Kieran O’Donnell, Minister of State with responsibility for older people, has asked the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) to begin a review of all nursing homes operated by the group in the wake of Wednesday’s RTÉ Investigates programme.

The inspections will include Brindley Manor and Brentwood Manor in Convoy, and Beach Hill Manor near Buncrana.

Beach Hill Manor at Lisfannon has been inspected five times over the past three years, most recently in an unannounced visit in September 2024. That inspection focused on fire safety compliance, an area previously found deficient. While improvements were noted, inspectors highlighted a number of areas where further risk mitigation was required.

There were 47 residents at the time of the inspection.

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Brentwood Manor in Convoy was last inspected in November 2024 - an announced inspection and one of five carried out over the past three years. There were 51 residents at the time.

Inspectors reported a “happy and upbeat atmosphere” and described residents as “relaxed and content”. Feedback gathered through interviews and pre-inspection questionnaires was mostly positive, with residents saying they felt safe, well cared for, and happy with the service.

However, five non-compliances were noted. These related to governance and management, limited living space in some rooms, fire precautions, the management of challenging behaviour, and inadequate measures to protect residents from abuse, including peer-to-peer abuse.

Brindley Manor in Convoy had one inspection in each of 2022, 2023, and 2024. The most recent was an announced inspection in October 2024, with 41 residents at the time.

Inspectors reported unanimous resident satisfaction with staff, who were described as “friendly,” “kind,” “helpful,” and “absolutely amazing.”

The home was found to be compliant or substantially compliant across 20 areas where it was inspected.

One non-compliance was noted: assessments and care plans for some residents were not kept up to date or did not clearly outline the specific interventions required to meet individual needs.