Emergency call service to be removed at independent living units in Athlone
Concerns have been expressed about a plan to remove a 24-hour emergency call service that has been provided up to now to residents in the independent living units located next to Sonas nursing home at Cloghanboy, Athlone.
The change is currently due to take effect at the end of May, and comes in the wake of last year's sale of the nursing home to the investment fund-backed Ethos Care nursing home group.
Athlone councillor Frankie Keena said the planned removal of the emergency call service from 22 retirement homes at the site was causing "deep stress" to the affected families, while a management company informed residents that it had "lobbied strenuously", but unsuccessfully, for the retention of the service.
The 24-hour emergency call service provided to the independent living units at Sonas was designed to assist if a resident suddenly became unwell and needed help to contact a family member, GP, or emergency services.
Under the terms of the service, a health care assistant would respond to an emergency call from a resident, assess the situation, and contact a relative, or a GP or emergency service, if necessary.
At the end of March, a letter addressed to those living at 'Sonas Retirement Village' from Sonas Cloghanboy Management Company Ltd thanked the residents for their attendance at "a number of meetings regarding the service provided to you by staff at the adjacent Sonas Nursing Home."
The letter outlined that Sonas Nursing Home had been purchased by Ethos Care, which was now the registered provider of the nursing home.
It said Ethos Care would be discontinuing "the 24-hour emergency call system" and that other services currently provided would continue "for the foreseeable future".
The letter added: "Sonas Cloghanboy Management Company regret this decision taken by Ethos Care and have lobbied strenuously on your behalf for the continuation of the emergency call service, without success.
"Various external emergency call options have been explored but no agreement has been reached on the introduction of an alternative system," it added.
The Westmeath Independent last week contacted Sonas Nursing Home and Ethos Care in relation to the issue. In response, Sonas issued a statement which indicated that the independent living units were not part of the sale of the nursing home to Ethos Care last year.
"When the new owners completed their acquisition of Sonas Nursing Home Group on September 1, 2025, it included the 58-bed nursing home at Cloghanboy, Athlone," said the statement.
"The independent living units (ILUs) were not part of that acquisition and are now under separate private ownership with no affiliation to Sonas Nursing Home Group.
"Under the terms of that sale agreement, the 24-hour alarm monitoring provided by the nursing home to several ILUs was due to expire in April," it added.
"In a scheduled meeting with ILU resident representatives (last) week, management at Ethos Care proposed the extension of the service to the end of May, to help facilitate those residents who use it while potential alternatives are discussed."
Cllr Frankie Keena described the emergency call service as "a fundamental component of the care and support structure" underpinning the independent units, and one that had been "central" to the residents’ decision to live there.
"It provided the residents with a degree of comfort," said Cllr Keena.
He pointed out that the original grant of planning permission for Sonas Nursing Home, in 2004, stipulated that the independent units at the site should not be "sold off or leased separately from the nursing home" and that he would now be seeking clarification from the council on whether permission was subsequently granted for the sale of these units.
"For many older residents, the presence of 24-hour emergency support was not an optional extra, it was an integral part of choosing to live in these homes," said Cllr Keena.
"Ethos Care's planned withdrawal of this service creates real anxiety and poses potential risks to the safety and wellbeing of these residents."
He said residents in the independent units at Sonas remained "deeply concerned" about the removal of a service designed to support them in living independently.
The Ethos Care nursing home group is led by David Hickey and former Munster and Ireland rugby player Mick O’Driscoll.
Founded in 2023, the company is backed by Lugus Capital, an Irish-based real estate investment platform which is itself backed by HIG Capital, a US-headquartered private equity firm.
A Bank of Ireland report last year referred to the sale of Sonas to Ethos Care and noted that investment funds "now operate one-third of Ireland’s nursing home beds, up from virtually none in 2017".
It added: "Ireland and England stand out in Europe as having the highest levels of privatisation, with over 80% of beds privately operated, compared with under 50% in Spain.
"This high level of private ownership continues to draw international investment interest."