This is the most the home can charge a week for residents on the Fair Deal scheme. Under Fair Deal you pay up to 80% of your income and 7.5% of the value of your assets a year, and the State pays the rest. Homes may charge extra for things like activities, hairdressing or newspapers, so ask about these when you call.
Read the conditions HIQA attached to this registration
Condition 1: Subject to any prohibitions or restrictions contained in any other condition(s), the designated centre shall be operated at all times in accordance with the Statement of Purpose within the footprint of the designated centre on the floor plan received on 6 December 2024. The registered provider shall only provide for the specific care and support needs, and services, within the facilities as set out the Statement of Purpose, as agreed with the Chief Inspector at the time of registration. Any changes to the specific care and support needs and services provided must be agreed in advance with the Chief Inspector.
Condition 2: Only persons aged 18 years or older shall be accommodated at the designated centre at any time.
Condition 3: The maximum number of persons that may be accommodated at the designated centre is: 103.
Other homes nearby
Worth phoning too if this home has no bed available.
Ranked 15 of 15 scored homes in Co. Clare · 23 of 23 within 25 km
Leadership and management34
Quality and safety of care47
What went into the score
11 May 2026 · counts 50%13 not compliant · 2 high risk · 0 of 15 compliant · 16
5 November 2025 · counts 30%3 not compliant · 11 of 18 compliant · 78
17 June 2025 · counts 20%4 not compliant · 1 of 10 compliant · 47
Fair Deal price is 3% below the Co. Clare median of €1,270 a week.
How we calculate this score
Every regulation HIQA judged on an inspection earns points: Compliant 100, Substantially compliant 65, Not compliant 25.
Where the compliance plan rates the risk of a failing regulation, orange (moderate risk) takes off 15 more points and red (high risk) takes off 40. Yellow (low risk) takes off nothing.
An inspection's score is the average over the regulations it looked at.
A home's score combines its last 3 inspections: the newest counts for 50%, the one before for 30% and the one before that for 20%. With fewer inspections the weights are scaled up to 100%.
The trend compares the newest inspection's score with the average of the earlier ones: 5 points or more higher is improving, 5 or more lower is declining, anything else is stable.
Homes are ranked by score within their county and among scored homes within 25 km. Homes with the same score share a rank.
Method v1. It uses only HIQA's published judgments, not our opinion, and is recalculated whenever a new report is published.
What the latest inspection found
Athlunkard House Nursing Home is a large, modern facility providing 24-hour nursing care for up to 103 residents, including those with dementia and other specialist needs. Inspectors found that while staff were kind and supportive, there were significant problems with staffing levels, management oversight, infection control, and care delivery. Residents experienced delays in assistance, especially at night, and some care needs were not consistently met. The home had an ongoing infection outbreak and fire safety issues. Management systems were ineffective, leading to poor communication and record-keeping. Residents had access to activities and visitors, but some felt activities were not tailored to their preferences.
Long-term care
Respite
Dementia care
Palliative care
Intellectual disability
Younger adults
What inspectors liked
Staff were kind, patient and supportive according to residents.
Residents felt safe living in the centre.
Residents could spend time with visitors flexibly in communal areas or private bedrooms.
An activities programme was in place and some residents found staff facilitating activities engaging and supportive.
The premises were modern, purpose-built, and generally well-maintained in communal and bedroom areas.
What needed to improve
Inspection history
HIQA judges each regulation as Compliant Substantially compliant Not compliantRisk: Low Moderate High
11 May 2026
Unannounced inspection · published Oct 2026
2 mostly13 not compliant
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Leadership and management
Written policies and proceduresModerate risk · fix by 31 August 2026Not compliant
Staffing levels and skill mix were insufficient to meet residents' needs, especially at night, causing delays in assistance.
Management oversight and governance were ineffective, with unclear accountability and poor monitoring of care quality and infection control.
Infection prevention and control practices were poor, contributing to an ongoing outbreak and increased risk to residents.
Fire safety was compromised by faults in the fire alarm system, impaired fire doors, poor storage practices, and inadequate staff training.
Residents' nutritional needs were not consistently met; some did not receive diets or supplements as recommended, and fluid intake was poorly monitored.
What residents said
“Staff were kind and caring.”
“Staff would chat with them when they had time and assist when requested.”
“There were delays in receiving assistance due to staff being busy, especially at night.”
“Some residents were unsettled by other residents entering their bedrooms uninvited or calling out for help.”
“A staff member said they would return to assist but had not yet done so; the resident would ring the call bell again.”
Staffing
There were insufficient staff on duty to meet residents' needs, with unplanned leave not always covered. Some health care staff were assigned non-care duties like cleaning and kitchen work, reducing their availability to assist residents. Night staffing was inadequate, and some staff lacked proper induction for night duties. Staff handovers were disrupted by care demands, leading to incomplete communication.
Activities
An activities programme was displayed and residents regularly participated. Staff facilitating activities were described as engaging and supportive. However, some residents felt activities focused too much on groups and did not reflect individual preferences or provide enough one-to-one engagement.
Food
Meals were served in two sittings with staff present and attentive. However, residents did not always receive diets matching their assessed needs or preferences. Nutritional and fluid intake monitoring was poor, and some residents experienced ongoing weight loss. Evening meal was early (4pm) with no substantial meal until breakfast, only a tea trolley at 7pm.
Dementia
The centre caters for residents with dementia, but the report does not describe a dedicated or secure dementia unit.
Summarised by AI from the HIQA report of 11 May 2026. Check the report for the full picture.Source report (PDF)
StaffingModerate risk · fix by 30 September 2026Not compliant
Training and staff developmentModerate risk · fix by 30 September 2026Not compliant
RecordsModerate risk · fix by 1 July 2026Not compliant
Governance and managementHigh risk · fix by 30 July 2026Not compliant
Notification of incidentsModerate risk · fix by 30 July 2026Not compliant
Complaints procedureModerate risk · fix by 31 August 2026Not compliant
Quality and safety of care
Individual assessment and care planModerate risk · fix by 31 August 2026Not compliant
Health careModerate risk · fix by 31 July 2026Not compliant
ProtectionModerate risk · fix by 18 May 2026Not compliant
Residents' rightsLow risk · fix by 30 September 2026Mostly
PremisesLow risk · fix by 30 September 2026Mostly
Food and nutritionModerate risk · fix by 18 May 2026Not compliant
Infection controlHigh risk · fix by 19 May 2026Not compliant
Fire precautionsModerate risk · fix by 30 September 2026Not compliant