Last patients moving from Leas Cross before closure of home

The last patients are to be moved from the Leas Cross nursing home in north Dublin this weekend before the closure of the controversial facility on Monday.

Only five patients remained in the home last night, a spokesman for the Health Service Executive (HSE) said, and they would be transferred to new accommodation today and tomorrow.

The HSE last month said it was withdrawing all public patients from in Leas Cross because the home was in breach of regulations.

Despite objections from the relatives of some private patients, who said they wished to stay on at the home, owner John Aherne decided earlier this month to close the facility claiming that he could no longer operate the nursing home because of the actions of the HSE.

Some 90 elderly people were resident in the home when the HSE took its decision to end its contract with Leas Cross last June.

Eleven residents remained yesterday afternoon; six of those were transferred last night and the remaining five are to leave today and tomorrow.

All of the residents have been transferred to facilities within the north Dublin area, the HSE spokesman said.

"We have been meeting and working closely with the relatives and the residents to make sure that we match patients' needs with the new facilities and to ensure that everyone can stay within the northern area."

The HSE was "adamant" the home had to close, he said, after poor conditions at the facility, which had been highlighted in a Prime Time TV programme at the end of May, had come to its attention. HSE staff would be working over the weekend to support the residents and their families during the final move, he said. They would continue to work over the coming weeks to ensure that all new facilities suited the residents' needs.

Mr Aherne yesterday refused to comment on the removal of the last residents and the closure of his business.

However, he said his priority was to ensure the remaining residents of Leas Cross "are relocated in a proper manner".