Sonas Care centre officially opened by Tanaiste
17 July 2006
A €12m care centre was officially opened in Athlone on Monday, July 17 by the Tanaiste and Minister for Health, Mary Harney.The new facility in Cloghaboy is part of the Irish-owned group's €100m investment plan currently being rolled out across the country. One of Ireland's leading providers of care services, the Sonas Healthcare company already operates award-winning Care Centres in Roscommon and Sligo, providing professional healthcare services for the elderly. The facilities in Roscommon and Sligo became the first nursing homes in Ireland to obtain the quality mark from Excellence Ireland. Excellence Ireland is a national body which recognises excellence in service delivery.
The Athlone Care Centre, which is also applying for the Quality Mark, incorporates a 60-bed nursing home and 16 independent living units. It caters for respite, convalescent, long-term care and daycare.
"We are delighted to announce the opening of our new Care Centre in Athlone, which will offer a range of care services for elderly people. The Sonas Healthcare team is bringing its experience, skills and proven reputation to this new facility,"
said Sonas Chief Executive, Gerry Jordan.
The Care Centre provides fully independent accommodation requirements with property security and maintenance in the form of 16 independent living units. The Sonas Care team is led by Director of Care, Siobhan Bell who has more than twenty years of experience in this sector. Sonas Healthcare also operates a number of childcare crèches around the country, including its Busy Kids crèche at Cloghanboy, Athlone.
The company's new headquarters is also based in Athlone, and these offices combined with the Sonas Care Centre and the Busy Kids crèche, will employ up to a hundred people in the town. According to chief executive Gerry Jordan, Sonas has four more nursing homes in Ennis, Kilkenny, Carlow and Limerick in the planning process. Sonas employ 200 people across its facilities throughout the country.
Sonas is backed by a consortium of private investors who will have invested between €60m and €70m when it opens its four centres currently in the planning. It is chaired by former investment manager and stockbroker Timothy Murphy.
