Galway nursing home threatened with closure following HIQA inspection

Bushfield Care Centre in Oranmore, which is operated by Genesis Healthcare Oranmore Limited, failed all 10 regulations assessed by health watchdog HIQA during an unannounced inspection that took place in July.

The inspection, which followed unsolicited concerns received by HIQA, found that extensive building works at the facility were being managed without basic safety controls.

Construction dust and debris were observed on surfaces and floors throughout the building, including in catering areas where dust had settled directly on fresh fruit and vegetables.

Inspectors discovered a catalogue of fire hazards across the centre, including fire doors propped open with wheelchairs, an electrical switch room packed with combustible cardboard, disconnected fire detection devices, and unsealed attic hatches.

A bedroom had also been converted into a laundry room without a fire or infection risk assessment, while emergency evacuation plans displayed on the walls directed staff to lead residents through exits in active construction zones that were entirely impassable.

HIQA also documented serious lapses in individual clinical care. In one case, a resident who was at risk of malnutrition and continued to lose weight had been reviewed by a dietitian two months earlier, but the prescribed nutritional plan was never implemented.

Meals were being sourced from an external caterer due to building works in the kitchen, but the food supplied failed to provide required low-sodium, high-protein, or high-calorie diets.

Inspectors also noted that medical and nursing files containing confidential resident details were left entirely unsecured on a corridor, while residents were moved between bedrooms without their consent and deprived of organised activities for up to a week.

The provider had also altered room dimensions and added bedrooms without regulatory approval, breaching conditions of its registration.

Following the inspection, the chief inspector issued urgent compliance plan notices and summoned the provider to an urgent warning meeting, cautioning that its registration could be cancelled if non-compliance continued.

In a formal response submitted to the regulator, Genesis Healthcare Oranmore Limited accepted the findings in full and confirmed that it had established immediate daily oversight, removed the temporary laundry facility, deep-cleaned catering areas, and secured all resident records.

However, an official note published alongside the provider’s corrective measures said the compliance plan submitted by the nursing home “does not adequately assure the chief inspector that the action will result in compliance with the regulations”.