Nursing Home Negligence in Ireland: Claims, Evidence and Your Rights

What is nursing home negligence in Ireland?

A nursing home negligence claim arises when a registered designated centre for older people fails to deliver care that meets the standard required by Irish law, and that failure causes injury or worsens a resident's condition. The standard isn't vague. It's set out in the Health Act 2007 [1], the Care and Welfare of Residents Regulations, and HIQA's published national standards. Nursing home claims fall under the broader category of medical negligence in Ireland, but they involve a distinct regulatory framework that separates them from hospital or GP claims.

Four elements must be established for a successful claim:

1. Duty of care existed (established on admission to the home)
2. Breach of duty (care fell below the required standard)
3. Causation (the breach caused or contributed to the harm)
4. Damage (physical injury, psychological harm, or death resulted)

A detail that catches many families off guard: not every bad outcome is negligence. A resident with advanced dementia who falls despite proper safety measures in place may not give rise to a claim. However, a resident who falls because staff ignored a falls risk assessment, or because the home failed to install bed sensors recommended in the care plan, is a different matter entirely.

What changed in 2025? The new HIQA regulations explained

Ireland's Health Act 2007 (Care and Welfare) Amendment Regulations 2025 (S.I. No. 1 of 2025) came into effect on 31 March 2025. These are the most significant changes to nursing home regulation in over a decade, and they directly affect how negligence claims are built and won. Source: HCI summary of regulatory changes [2].

Regulation 14: Person in Charge (PIC) requirements

The Person in Charge must now hold a Level 8 qualification in health or social care management and have at least three years of management experience. If the PIC is absent for more than 42 days (increased from 28), the facility must notify the Chief Inspector. A qualified deputy must be in place immediately during any absence. From handling cases involving care failures during management gaps, the absence of a qualified PIC often correlates with unwitnessed falls and missed medication rounds.

Regulation 26: Risk management and infection control

Risk management policies must now explicitly address infectious diseases and align with HIQA's published guidance. Generic hygiene policies are no longer sufficient. If a home's risk policy predates March 2025 or fails to reference specific infectious disease protocols, establishing liability for infection outbreaks becomes far easier. See Citizens Information on nursing home regulation [6].

Regulation 31: Faster incident reporting

The timeline for notifying HIQA of serious incidents (unexpected deaths, abuse allegations) was reduced from three working days to two. We call this the Two-Day Disclosure Rule. When families suspect a cover-up, checking whether the home reported the incident within two working days is a practical first step. A missed deadline on Regulation 31 often signals deeper problems with transparency.

Regulation 11: Mandatory visitor policies

Every nursing home must now have a written visitor policy (Schedule 5 requirement). The policy must allow a nominated person to visit at all times, including during a pandemic. Restricting family access without lawful basis is now a regulatory breach, not just poor practice.

HIQA compliance notices: a faster enforcement tool (February 2025)

Since 14 February 2025, the Chief Inspector of Social Services can issue compliance notices directly to nursing home providers found in breach of regulations. Before this change, HIQA's main enforcement options were conditions on registration or cancellation, both slow processes. A compliance notice is faster and creates a contemporaneous regulatory record of breach. For families building a negligence claim, a compliance notice issued to a home around the time of the incident is powerful corroborating evidence. It proves the regulator identified the same failure you're complaining about. Check the HIQA register and enforcement notices section for any compliance notices against the home in question.

HSA inspections: a second regulatory front (June 2025)

Following the RTÉ Investigates documentary on Emeis Ireland nursing homes in June 2025, the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) began inspecting nursing homes for manual handling compliance, risk assessments, and staff health and safety training. The HSA operates under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, not the Health Act 2007. A home can now face regulatory action from both HIQA and the HSA simultaneously, creating two independent sources of breach evidence for civil claims. HSA inspection findings are obtainable through freedom of information requests.

Mandatory open disclosure of serious incidents (September 2024)

The Patient Safety (Notifiable Incidents and Open Disclosure) Act 2023 [18] came into effect on 26 September 2024 and applies to all nursing homes, public and private. Under the Act, a nursing home must disclose specified "notifiable incidents" to the patient or their family, including unexpected death, serious harm, and retained foreign objects. Non-compliance is a criminal offence carrying fines up to €5,000. The Act amends Part 4 of the Civil Liability (Amendment) Act 2017 [19]. One detail families should understand: an apology given during open disclosure is not admissible as an admission of liability in court proceedings. The apology is legally protected. Families shouldn't rely on it as evidence of fault. What families can rely on is whether the home disclosed the incident at all. If a notifiable incident occurred and the home never told the family, that failure to disclose is itself a breach of the Act, separate from the underlying negligence, and it can be cited as evidence of concealment.

Common types of nursing home abuse and neglect

Under Irish law, abuse in care settings falls into five categories recognised by the HSE's National Safeguarding Office: physical, psychological, financial, sexual, and neglect. We apply what we call the Five-Category Abuse Assessment when evaluating new cases, because families often present with one concern that, on closer investigation, involves two or three categories. Neglect is the most common, accounting for roughly 15% of formal safeguarding referrals, though the real figure is likely higher because neglect is harder to spot than a bruise or a missing bank withdrawal. Source: HSE Safeguarding [8].

Physical neglect

Pressure ulcers (bedsores) remain one of the most common indicators. The HSE's wound management programme [7] reports a mean pressure ulcer prevalence of 12% in acute and long-stay settings, with thousands of facility-acquired cases reported on NIMS each year. A pressure ulcer that progresses beyond Stage 2 on the Waterlow or Braden scale almost always points to inadequate repositioning. Gaps in turning charts are often the first document a solicitor examines.

Falls without proper risk assessment, medication errors from poor record-keeping, malnutrition from failure to use the MUST screening tool, and dehydration from insufficient fluid monitoring all fall under physical neglect.

Psychological and emotional abuse

Psychological abuse accounts for 35% of all elder abuse cases reported to the HSE between 2017 and 2022. Verbal aggression, deliberate isolation, and withholding of social interaction are forms of psychological abuse that can ground a claim if they cause diagnosable harm such as depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress.

Financial abuse

According to Safeguarding Ireland [8], financial abuse represents 19% of reported cases. Misuse of power of attorney, unexplained withdrawals, and pressure to change wills are the most common patterns.

Institutional (systemic) abuse

Institutional abuse occurs when the failures are systemic rather than caused by one staff member. Chronic understaffing, inadequate training, lack of clinical governance, and a management culture that discourages incident reporting all qualify. The 2025 RTÉ Investigates findings into Emeis Ireland (formerly Orpea) homes, including Beneavin Manor, revealed what HIQA inspectors later described as serious and repeated failures in governance across multiple facilities. Source: HIQA 2024 overview [3].

How do you prove nursing home negligence in Ireland?

Proving nursing home negligence in Ireland requires linking a specific breach of the Health Act 2007 care standards to a specific failure, and then connecting that failure to the resident's injury through an independent medical expert report. This three-part structure applies to every case, whether the claim involves a pressure ulcer, a fall, or a death from untreated infection. Source: Health Act 2007 [1].

We use what we call the Breach-Link-Harm Audit when evaluating potential nursing home claims. It works like this:

1. Identify the standard breached. Which HIQA regulation or care protocol was not followed? Was the home's Regulation 26 risk policy up to date? Did the care plan require two-person assisted transfers?
2. Link breach to the event. Did the breach cause or contribute to what happened? Were turning charts incomplete during the period the pressure ulcer developed? Was the PIC absent without a qualified deputy when the incident occurred?
3. Quantify the harm. An independent medical expert must confirm the injury, its severity, and its likely cause. Without this expert report, the claim cannot proceed.

Probate and wrongful death claims

Irish courts have confirmed that a wrongful death claim can proceed even before probate is finalised. Where a defendant seeks to have the case struck out because the executor hasn't yet extracted a full grant of probate, courts have ruled the defect is "curable" and issued a stay rather than a dismissal. For families asking "do we need to wait for the will to be sorted before we can sue?", the answer is no. Proceedings should be issued promptly to protect the two-year time limit. Source: Courts Service [9].

What defences will a nursing home raise against your claim?

Every nursing home claim in Ireland meets resistance. According to the State Claims Agency [5], which manages defence of HSE-operated homes, insurers use a predictable set of defences. Knowing them in advance allows your solicitor to address each one before the defence is even filed. We use what we call the Four-Defence Rebuttal when preparing nursing home claims, because these four defences come up in the majority of cases and each has a well-established counter-argument.

Pre-existing condition

The home will argue the resident's deterioration was caused by their underlying condition, not by any failure of care. In dementia cases, they may claim cognitive decline caused the fall. In pressure ulcer cases, they may point to the resident's age, immobility, or diabetes. The rebuttal: pre-existing vulnerability doesn't extinguish the duty of care. It increases it. HIQA's Regulation 5 requires individualised care plans that account for each resident's specific risks. If the care plan didn't reflect the resident's condition, the home failed the standard precisely where it mattered most.

Contributory negligence

Under Section 34 of the Civil Liability Act 1961, the home may allege the resident contributed to their own injury by wandering unsupervised, refusing medication, or attempting to mobilise without assistance. Courts apply this defence cautiously in nursing home cases because residents are, by definition, admitted for care they can't provide themselves. A resident with dementia who wanders at night didn't contribute to their fall. So who failed? The home that didn't implement a wandering management protocol.

"We met the standard of care"

The home will argue its policies met HIQA standards and the incident was an unavoidable accident. HIQA inspection reports are the most effective counter. If the same regulation was found non-compliant at any inspection within 12 months of the incident, the defence collapses. Even where HIQA found compliance, the standard of care is judged by what a reasonably competent nursing home should have done in the circumstances, not by the regulator's snapshot assessment on a single day.

Statute of limitations

If more than two years have passed since the injury, the home will file a preliminary application to have the claim struck out as statute-barred. The rebuttal depends on when the family had "date of knowledge" under the Statute of Limitations (Amendment) Act 1991. For gradual harm like progressive pressure ulcers or slow-onset malnutrition, the clock starts when a reasonable person would have connected the harm to negligent care, not when the harm first appeared. This is often later than families assume.

Who can bring a nursing home negligence claim in Ireland?

Legal standing to bring a nursing home negligence claim in Ireland depends on the resident's mental capacity and whether they are alive or deceased. The rules changed substantially in April 2023 when the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 [4] was commenced, abolishing the old Ward of Court system.

If the resident has mental capacity

The resident brings the claim in their own name. Straightforward.

If the resident lacks capacity (including dementia)

Since 26 April 2023, anyone acting on behalf of a person who lacks decision-making capacity must apply to the Circuit Court for a Decision-Making Representative (DMR) order under Part 5 of the 2015 Act. The outdated "next friend" or "Ward of Court" routes no longer apply. The Decision Support Service [4], which operates within the Mental Health Commission, oversees this process.

One aspect the official guidance doesn't always make clear: nursing home owners, operators, or staff cannot act as the Decision-Making Representative. That's a conflict of interest. The DMR is usually a family member. All existing Wards of Court must be discharged by 26 April 2026. Families with a relative currently under wardship should act on this transition now.

Fatal injury claims

If the resident died as a result of negligence, dependants (spouse, children, parents, siblings) can bring a claim under the Civil Liability Act. The solatium (award for mental distress of dependants) is capped at €35,000 per statute, but the financial dependency element is uncapped and covers loss of pension, carer services, and other quantifiable losses. Source: Citizens Information on civil liability [6].

Fair Deal Scheme residents: a dual claim basis

Families paying for care through the Nursing Home Support Scheme ("Fair Deal") have two potential grounds for a claim, not one. The first is the standard negligence claim under the Health Act 2007 for breach of HIQA regulations. The second is a contractual claim based on the terms of the written agreement the resident signs with the nursing home on admission. That contract generally promises a defined standard of care, and a failure to deliver it is a breach of contract as well as a tort. Contractual claims can be useful where the negligence is harder to pin down clinically because the contractual standard may be more specific than the general duty of care. The historical precedent of the State's repayment scheme for unlawful nursing home charges (1976 to 2005) shows the Government has form on systemic failures in care-funding accountability.

It's important to note that the correct procedure since April 2023 is to apply for a Decision-Making Representative order under the 2015 Act. The "next friend" and Ward of Court mechanisms are no longer available for new applications. Families relying on outdated guidance risk procedural delays that could push them past the limitation period.

What evidence strengthens a nursing home negligence claim?

Evidence in Irish nursing home negligence cases comes from two categories: documents the home is legally required to maintain under HIQA regulations, and external records you can obtain independently. The strongest claims combine both. Source: HIQA [3].

The IRB's published data shows that medical negligence claims are complex and typically take two to three years to reach hearing if they don't settle. Early evidence preservation is critical. Photograph injuries, keep a diary of concerns, and request records in writing with a specific GDPR subject access request. We call this the Day-One Evidence Protocol: request records under GDPR on day one, photograph injuries on day one, and start a written diary of concerns on day one. The earlier you preserve evidence, the harder it is for the nursing home to claim the records "weren't available" or the injury was pre-existing.

How to read a HIQA inspection report for your claim

HIQA publishes every inspection report on its website. Each report rates the home against individual regulations using four compliance descriptors: Compliant, Substantially Compliant, Not Compliant (Orange), and Not Compliant (Red). For litigation purposes, Orange means moderate risk and Red means high risk of harm to residents. A Red finding on any regulation is the strongest publicly available evidence of breach.

The Regulation-Injury Match: which regulation covers your relative's harm?

When reviewing a HIQA report, check Regulation 5 (individual assessment and care plan), Regulation 8 (protection from abuse), Regulation 12 (safe and suitable premises), and Regulation 27 (infection control) first. In our experience handling nursing home claims, the care plan regulation (Reg 5) is the most frequently cited breach because gaps in care plans directly map to gaps in care delivery. If HIQA found care plans hadn't been updated for months before your relative's injury, that finding alone can anchor causation in your claim.

HIQA reports from the 12 months before and after the incident are the most relevant. Download and preserve them immediately. HIQA updates its website regularly, and older reports can be harder to locate once a home re-registers or closes.

Time limits for nursing home claims in Ireland

Irish personal injury law, including nursing home negligence, imposes a two-year limitation period from the date of knowledge under the Statute of Limitations Act 1957. "Date of knowledge" means the point when you first knew (or should reasonably have known) that the injury was caused by negligence rather than by the natural course of the resident's condition. We refer to this as the Date-of-Knowledge Clock because, unlike a standard countdown, the start point is often debatable and depends on when the family had enough information to connect the harm to substandard care. Source: Statute of Limitations Act 1957 [10].

The Guidelines state a two-year limit, but in practice, the date of knowledge creates important exceptions:

Exceptions exist for gradual harm (a pressure ulcer worsening over months may have a different knowledge date than when it first appeared), for minors (the two-year limit runs from the 18th birthday), for lack of capacity (the clock pauses while the resident cannot appreciate their right to claim), and for fatal claims (two years from the death or from the date dependants learned negligence was a factor).

How long does a nursing home negligence claim take in Ireland?

Because nursing home negligence is classified as medical negligence in Ireland, these claims bypass the Injuries Resolution Board and proceed directly through the courts. Expect the process to take two to four years from first instruction to resolution, depending on complexity, whether liability is disputed, and court listing times. Source: Citizens Information [6].

The longest delays typically occur at stages 2 and 7: waiting for expert availability and waiting for a court date. Families can reduce delay at stage 1 by submitting a GDPR subject access request to the home before instructing a solicitor. Records secured early are harder for the home to alter or lose.

HSE vs private nursing home claims: key differences

In Ireland, whether the nursing home is run by the HSE or a private operator changes who you sue, how the claim is managed, and who funds the defence. HSE claims are managed by the State Claims Agency [5], while private home claims go to the operator's insurer. Getting this wrong early wastes time.

According to the State Claims Agency [5], total outstanding State claims liabilities reached approximately €5 billion by the end of 2022. Of the 121 COVID-related nursing home claims lodged by March 2023, 54 related to deaths and 45 to infections.

What if the nursing home closes or the operator becomes insolvent?

HIQA Regulation 22 requires every nursing home to maintain adequate insurance. If the operator enters administration or the home closes, the claim doesn't disappear. Under Irish insurance law, where a defendant is insolvent, the claimant can proceed against the insurer directly. The legal entity that operated the home continues to exist for the purposes of proceedings even after the business ceases trading. The practical risk is delay, not the loss of the claim. Families should instruct a solicitor as early as possible if they learn a home is at risk of closure, because obtaining records and identifying the correct insurer becomes harder once the operator has wound down. In the wake of the Emeis controversy, some families discovered that the entity on their admission contract was a subsidiary company, not the parent group. Confirming the correct defendant early avoids wasted proceedings.

How much compensation for nursing home negligence?

Compensation for nursing home negligence in Ireland is assessed under the Judicial Council Personal Injuries Guidelines (2021), which replaced the old Book of Quantum in April 2021. Awards are split into general damages (pain and suffering) and special damages (out-of-pocket losses, future care costs). Source: Judicial Council [11].

A common issue we encounter in nursing home claims: families expect a single number. In reality, compensation depends on the specific injury, its severity, and its impact on the individual. The table below gives indicative ranges based on the Guidelines, but every case turns on its own facts.

How are nursing home negligence claims funded in Ireland?

Legal costs are the first practical concern for most Irish families considering a nursing home claim. Under the Solicitors (Advertising) Regulations 2019, solicitors in Ireland cannot advertise fee arrangements in the way that firms in England or the US can. The rules are strict, and any firm advertising guaranteed fee structures risks LSRA sanction. That said, families should know what the law requires and what to expect.

Section 68 of the Solicitors (Amendment) Act 1994 [20] requires every solicitor to provide a written costs disclosure before carrying out any work. That disclosure must set out how fees will be calculated, what disbursements (expenses) are likely, and the client's right to a detailed bill. In practice, most solicitors offer a free initial consultation to assess the viability of the claim before any fee arrangement is agreed.

Nursing home negligence claims typically involve significant disbursements, particularly the cost of independent medical expert reports, which can range from €1,500 to €5,000 depending on the specialty. In many cases, the solicitor's firm funds these disbursements upfront and recovers them from the opposing party if the claim succeeds. Families should ask about disbursement funding at the first meeting.

Under the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015, costs in successful claims are assessed by the Office of the Legal Costs Adjudicator (formerly the Taxing Master). The losing party usually pays a significant portion of the winning party's legal costs, but not always all of them. Families should discuss the potential shortfall with their solicitor before proceedings are issued. In contentious business, a solicitor may not calculate fees or other charges as a percentage or proportion of any award or settlement.

How to report nursing home abuse in Ireland

Reporting abuse and making a legal claim are separate processes. A report to the HSE safeguarding team [8] or HIQA [3] can trigger an investigation and improve conditions, but only a legal claim can secure compensation for harm suffered. You can (and often should) do both.

Step 1: Raise it with the home

Speak to the Person in Charge. Document the conversation in writing and keep a copy. Under Regulation 31, the home must notify HIQA of abuse allegations within two working days.

Step 2: Report to the HSE Safeguarding Office

Contact the HSE National Safeguarding Office through the Adult Safeguarding Portal [7] or by calling 1800 700 700. Your local Community Healthcare Organisation (CHO) has a dedicated Safeguarding and Protection Team.

Step 3: Contact HIQA

You can raise concerns about a nursing home's regulatory compliance directly with HIQA [3]. HIQA has powers to carry out unannounced inspections, issue compliance notices, and cancel registrations.

Step 4: Contact the Gardaí (if criminal)

If you suspect criminal conduct (physical assault, sexual abuse, financial theft), report to the Gardaí on 999 or 112 (emergency) or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.

Elder abuse in Ireland: the scale of the problem

According to Safeguarding Ireland and HSE Safeguarding Office data, Ireland recorded over 16,000 reports of elder abuse across HSE-funded services between 2017 and 2022. The breakdown by type: psychological abuse accounted for 35% of cases, physical abuse for 23% (4,379 cases in one year alone), financial abuse for 19%, and sexual abuse for 665 reported cases over the period. Source: Safeguarding Ireland [8].

Between 2021 and 2022, safeguarding referrals for people aged 80 and over increased by 32%. Total safeguarding concerns reached 13,700 in 2022, an 18% increase on the previous year. These figures cover HSE-funded services only and are widely regarded as the tip of the iceberg.

According to HIQA's 2024 overview report [3], the regulator conducted 840 nursing home inspections that year, 84% of them unannounced. Ten nursing homes had their registration refused or cancelled. Thirty-six homes received three or more inspections due to persistent non-compliance.

The enforcement gap: why civil claims fill it

In April 2024, the Law Reform Commission published its report on adult safeguarding, recommending comprehensive legislative reform to protect vulnerable adults in care settings [17]. As of early 2026, the Government has not implemented the report's recommendations. The Taoiseach acknowledged "issues" with HIQA's inspection methodology and called for a working group, but no legislation has followed. HIQA itself operates under a structural limitation: if it closes a nursing home, the State becomes the provider of last resort, and Ireland has never shown willingness to be the primary provider of residential care for older people. That means HIQA can identify failures repeatedly without the home actually closing. In this enforcement gap, civil negligence claims often represent the only meaningful accountability mechanism available to families. Compensation serves both the injured individual and the wider system by creating a financial consequence for substandard care that regulatory action alone hasn't delivered.

COVID-19 nursing home claims

According to State Claims Agency data presented to the Oireachtas, the Irish State faced 121 compensation claims relating to nursing home care during the COVID-19 pandemic by March 2023. Of these, 54 related to deaths, 45 to infections, and 13 to vaccine-related issues. Over half of Ireland's 4,357 COVID-19 deaths were nursing home residents. Sources: State Claims Agency [5], Oireachtas [12].

In the English High Court, Gardner and Harris v Secretary of State for Health and Social Care found that government policies on care home admissions during the pandemic were "irrational" because they failed to advise isolation of asymptomatic patients. Irish guidance dated 10 March 2020, titled "Guidance on transfer of hospitalised patients from an acute hospital to a residential care facility," was similar to the policies the English court struck down. Source: Medical Independent [13].

HIQA's July 2020 report identified critical gaps in nursing home pandemic readiness: clinical governance failures, staffing shortages, PPE unavailability, inability to isolate residents, and a history of non-compliance with infection control regulations. These findings form the evidential backbone for many ongoing claims.

Recent cases and HIQA enforcement actions

From 2024 to early 2026, Ireland has seen a sharp increase in regulatory enforcement and public scrutiny of nursing home standards. According to HIQA's 2024 inspection overview [3], non-compliance findings rose across multiple care and welfare regulations. For families considering claims, these developments provide both evidence and context.

The Emeis Ireland investigation (2025)

An RTÉ Investigates undercover documentary in June 2025 revealed 198 allegations of abuse and neglect at facilities operated by Emeis Ireland (formerly Orpea), including Beneavin Manor in Dublin and The Residence Portlaoise [15]. Undercover healthcare assistants filmed residents being handled without proper equipment, left in soiled conditions, and denied basic dignity. After HIQA imposed an admissions restriction on The Residence Portlaoise effective 22 April 2025, the home continued admitting residents for eight further days. Emeis attributed this to "an administrative error." That breach of a regulator's order is itself evidence of governance failure. HIQA launched enhanced inspections, the HSA began parallel health and safety inspections, and Gardaí are investigating potential gross negligence manslaughter charges at up to 30 nursing homes nationally.

From Leas Cross to Emeis: a recurring pattern

Patricia Rickard-Clarke, chair of Safeguarding Ireland, said in June 2025 that standards had "gone backwards" since the Leas Cross nursing home scandal 20 years earlier [16]. The RTÉ Prime Time exposé of Leas Cross in 2005 led to the Health Act 2007, the creation of HIQA, and the entire current regulatory framework. Twenty years later, the Emeis investigation exposed near-identical failures: rough handling, understaffing, poor hygiene, and inadequate oversight. The chair's assessment matters for claims because it demonstrates this is a systemic, recurring failure, not an isolated incident. Courts assess foreseeability partly by asking whether the risk was known. Two decades of identical patterns make that question easier to answer.

What HIQA inspectors actually found in 2024 and 2025

According to HIQA's June 2025 publication statement [3], inspection reports from this period contain findings that map directly to common claim types. In a Wexford home, a resident at risk of malnutrition had a 20-week gap in weight monitoring records. In Dublin, a resident's falls care plan hadn't been updated for six and a half months before the resident fell and was seriously injured. A resident with a pressure ulcer was due to be repositioned every two hours, but no record existed of this happening. In Co Kildare, inspectors found water jugs placed out of reach of immobile residents and cold food left on trays beside sleeping residents. In Co Waterford, peer-to-peer abuse incidents continued despite safeguarding measures being in place, with staff lacking sufficient knowledge to prevent abuse. Of 47 homes inspected in one June 2025 batch, six were non-compliant with four or more regulations.

Droimnín Nursing Home (2026): HIQA cancelled the registration of Droimnín Nursing Home in County Laois due to persistent, serious care failures. The home couldn't demonstrate compliance with Regulation 14 (governance) or Regulation 26 (risk management).

The Ombudsman's "Wasted Lives" report [14] highlighted another dimension: over 1,300 people under 65 are housed in geriatric nursing homes due to a lack of appropriate disability services. This represents a distinct category of potential claims based on inappropriate placement and the failure to provide rehabilitative care under the Disability Act 2005.

Common questions about nursing home negligence in Ireland

Related questions

References

All sources accessed February 2026 unless otherwise noted.

1. Health Act 2007, Irish Statute Book.
2. Summary of Nursing Home Regulatory Changes: Effective 31 March 2025, HCI.
3. Overview of 2024 Inspection and Regulation of Designated Centres, HIQA.
4. Decision Support Service, Mental Health Commission.
5. State Claims Agency / Clinical Indemnity Scheme.
6. Regulation of residential care for older people, Citizens Information.
7. HSE Safeguarding of Older Persons and HSE Pressure Ulcer Data.
8. Safeguarding Ireland.
9. Courts Service of Ireland, Judgments.
10. Statute of Limitations Act 1957, Irish Statute Book.
11. Personal Injuries Guidelines (2021), Judicial Council.
12. Houses of the Oireachtas, Public Accounts Committee hearing (March 2023).
13. Medical Independent, analysis of Gardner and Harris v Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.
14. Ombudsman reports including "Wasted Lives".
15. RTÉ Investigates: Emeis Ireland nursing home admissions breach, RTÉ News, 5 June 2025.
16. Safeguarding Ireland chair: standards have "gone backwards" since Leas Cross, RTÉ News, 6 June 2025.
17. Law Reform Commission Report on Adult Safeguarding, April 2024.
18. Patient Safety (Notifiable Incidents and Open Disclosure) Act 2023, HSE guidance.
19. Civil Liability (Amendment) Act 2017, Part 4 (Open Disclosure), Irish Statute Book.
20. Solicitors (Amendment) Act 1994, Section 68 (costs disclosure), Irish Statute Book.