Only hospital bed available for elderly man with dementia forced out of closed care home

Eamon McGullion, 82, was the last patient remaining at Drumclay nursing home in Enniskillen before it closed, due to what the owners described as a shortage of qualified nursing staff.

His son, Neil, told the News Letter he has now been moved to the South West Acute Hospital because there are no suitable beds for him anywhere in Fermanagh, where the family are from.

Drumclay is the second care home to close in recent years, after Ashbrooke care home was closed down by regulators after a surprise inspection found it was so badly run there was a “risk to the life” of those living there.

And Mr McGullion’s predicament has been worsened by the voluntary decision to halt admissions to its dementia unit at the Graan Abbey care home, where enforcement action was ordered by regulators after an inspection found issues with medicines management.

The home is not taking any new admissions until it can meet the minimum standards expected of care homes in Northern Ireland.

The Commissioner for Older People, Eddie Lynch, is involved in Mr McGullion’s case and has urged the Western Trust to “urgently secure a place” in the Fermanagh area.

Neil McGullion said: “He will be homeless at 82-years -old, he is blind and it’s Christmas. Of course I would take him home with me but that’s not possible. He has needs that I just can’t meet. The trust need to sort out care for the elderly in Fermanagh.”

Mr Lynch said: “I’m greatly concerned about Mr McGullion’s situation.

“To be without a home is a terrible position for any older person to find themselves in and Mr McGullion’s family are understandably distressed that there is no appropriate placement for their father in the Fermanagh area.

“On Monday afternoon we believed an appropriate placement for Mr McGuillion had been found. On Tuesday morning, however, we were informed that it was no longer available.

“I call upon the Western Health and Social Care Trust to urgently secure a placement for Mr McGullion in the Fermanagh area and work to ensure that a similar situation does not happen again for any other older person.”

A Western Trust spokesperson said: “The trust will engage with these communities to determine the best future provision of residential care across Fermanagh.”