A 50-year-old nursing home owner has been fined a total of €8,000 after pleading guilty at the Dublin District Court to 10 breaches of regulations covering such homes.
Therese Lipsett, who runs the Rostrevor Nursing Home in Rathgar in south Dublin, was accused of 25 breaches of regulations but following legal submissions a number of charges were withdrawn or dismissed.
Ms Lipsett's defence successfully argued that some of these charges should be dismissed because of the failure of the HSE to produce supporting documentation in court.
The admitted breaches related to failures in relation to nursing care, the keeping of medication and the nursing home environment.
Ms Lipsett has run the Rostrevor home for 22 years. Her barrister Breffni Gordan said today that her difficulties in relation to the standards at the nursing home bubbled to the surface five years ago when she began experiencing staffing problems.
The Health Service Executive had gone to the High Court last year to close the home but found that it was the district court that had the authority to shut down a registered home. The HSE then commenced proceedings in the district court.
Ms Lipsett made no comment as she left court today after Judge Ann Ryan's ruling.
Her barrister said she is now absolutely in conformity with the statutory provisions covering nursing homes and has been receiving referrals from the health service. She claimed four patients have been referred to Rostrevor.
