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EnglishHow to Find and Choose a Nursing Home in Ireland: Directory, Costs and Fair Deal
Updated
To find a nursing home in Ireland, start with a county or province directory of registered private nursing homes, then check each home against your care needs, cost and state support options. The directory at retirementservices.ie lists all private nursing homes in Ireland by county and province, and notes there are currently 472 registered private nursing homes caring for over 20,000 people. Use it to build a shortlist, then confirm costs and Fair Deal eligibility directly with each home and the HSE before deciding.
Build a shortlist from the directory
The site's Nursing Homes Directory is organised so you can move from a broad area to specific homes:
- Featured homes appear at the top of the Nursing Homes tab.
- County and province links below them lead to all nursing homes in that area.
- Each listing gives contact details you can use to arrange a visit or ask questions.
A practical approach is to shortlist by location first (close enough for family to visit), then filter by the type of care each home provides. If the person needs a period of recovery after hospital treatment, the site also lists providers of convalescent care by county, including nursing homes, care centres and retirement centres.
Understand costs and the Fair Deal scheme
The site's Information Centre covers the Cost of Care, the Nursing Homes Fair Deal scheme, tax relief on nursing home fees, and the regulations that apply to nursing homes. These are the four areas to review before committing:
| Topic | What to check |
|---|---|
| Cost of care | The home's stated fees and what they include |
| Fair Deal | Whether you qualify for state support with fees and how to apply |
| Tax relief | Whether nursing home fees qualify for relief and how to claim |
| Regulations | That the home is registered and meets the required standards |
The site does not publish specific fee figures or Fair Deal rates, so treat any number you see elsewhere as something to verify with the home and the HSE. Do not assume a listing implies a particular price or that state support is automatic.
Questions to ask before choosing
Once you have two or three candidates, use a visit and a phone call to test them on the same points:
- Is the home registered, and what is its most recent inspection outcome?
- What level of care can it provide — long-term, convalescent, or both?
- What are the full fees, and what is excluded?
- How does the home handle Fair Deal applications and paperwork?
- What are visiting arrangements and staffing levels at night and weekends?
Compare answers side by side rather than one home at a time, so differences in cost and care become clear.
Related options: home care and retirement villages
Not everyone needs a nursing home. The same directory covers:
- Home Care Directory — home care providers listed by county.
- Home Care Packages — since 1 September 2016, new HSE-approved packages are provided by organisations approved through a tender process; existing providers also work to agreed standards monitored by local health office staff. The site advises checking the list of approved providers.
- Retirement villages and independent living — for people who want to stay independent with support nearby.
A home care package is flexible and may include additional home help hours, so it is worth comparing against nursing home costs if the person's needs are moderate.
Next step
Pick your county in the Nursing Homes Directory, shortlist three homes, and read the Information Centre pages on Cost of Care and Fair Deal before your first visit. That gives you the cost and eligibility picture you need to ask the right questions in person.