Panacea Health Research

This post will explore the ownership patterns of Ireland’s nursing homes as well as comment on the overall structure of the market as of July 2016. As we await the results of Census 2016 and the insights that this invaluable data set will give us, it is safe to conclude that the number of older people (defined as aged 65 and older) is likely to rise. Recognising this fact is important from a planning and public policy point of view as a greying population will require a response in terms of bespoke services to facilitate the best quality of life possible for this population as they grow into older age. Achieving this goal will require an understanding of the existing market.

At present, the provider split (public sector vs. private sector) is 21% to 79% respectively. A study of the planning pipeline of the [rovate sector indicates that its dominance is likely to grow over the coming years as there are a significant number of private sector beds in new facilities and through the extension of existing nursing home facilities at various stages of the planning process. In terms of market specifics, the largest nursing home operator in the Republic of Ireland at present is Mowlam Healthcare Services, with 849 beds in 15 different homes.

The view on the public sector side of the fence is less rosy as years of constrained budgets have left facilities at a low ebb in terms of capacity and conditions. While some investment is planned for specific homes around the country (as per the HSE’s 2015/2016 Plan for Capital Expenditure), further investment to match demand will be required in the coming years. The Health Service Executive (HSE) has 6,214 beds in 123 homes spread across the State. In terms of market specifics, the largest nursing home operator in the Republic of Ireland at present is Mowlam Healthcare Services, with 849 beds in 15 different homes. Interestingly, the majority of the private sector operators in the Republic of Ireland are small scale, with corporate holdings managing between 1-6 facilities.

In Northern Ireland, Four Seasons Healthcare is the largest operator with 3,524 beds in 76 different facilities.