A nursing home in south Dublin has failed to effectively respond to the needs of frail and highly dependent residents, according to the independent regulator HIQA.
The watchdog has highlighted delays in giving medications and criticised the owners for not having enough staff on duty.
Following HIQA's unannounced inspection of Saint Mary's Centre nursing home in Dublin 4 last August, the watchdog issued an immediate action plan for improvements in the care of the 54 residents.
85% of them needed the assistance of two staff with most, or all, daily activities.
However, the report said that a high standard of nursing care was not being provided to effectively manage their needs.
There was ineffective risk management, care planning and supervision of staff.
Inspectors discovered delays of up to two-and-a-half hours in giving medications and nurses frequently had to stop administering drugs in order to go to the assistance of residents.
Lacking appropriate support, some residents were losing sleep, were very unsteady on their feet and frequently fell.
With the exception of morning mass, no residents' activities were planned on the day of the inspection.
The management and care of choking incidents was deemed unsafe.
Not enough staff were on duty, the report also found. Seven nurses had left over an eight-month period but only five replacements had been hired.
"I understand that during the summer there was a lot of difficulty recruiting nurses for nursing homes, particularly relating to better terms and conditions being offered in hospitals which was attracting nurses away from nursing home work," said Elaine Howley, Director of Policy and Advocacy at the National Council for the Blind.
The HIQA reports stated that, on the day of the inspection last August, inspectors conveyed their findings to the providers of the service, St Mary's Centre (Telford), and to the person in charge of the home.
It said their response included a commitment to put resources in place to mitigate the risks identified and to ensure the needs of all residents are effectively managed in a timely manner.
The Action Plan at the end of the HIQA report identified areas where improvements are required to comply with the Health Act and the National Quality Standards for Residential Care Settings for Older People in Ireland.
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