Private

The Fern Dean

Deansgrange Road , Blackrock , A94 TN25

Call 01 236 0028

Fair Deal weekly price

€1,417

HSE list #230, 4 September 2026

Registered beds

140

HIQA maximum occupancy

Registered until

7 August 2028

Current registration since 8 August 2025

Inspection score

76/ 100

Mostly compliant

Getting worse

Ranked 71 of 103 scored homes in Co. Dublin · 76 of 111 within 25 km

Leadership and management89

Quality and safety of care62

What went into the score

12 November 2025 · counts 63%3 not compliant · 7 of 12 compliant · 72
26 November 2024 · counts 38%8 of 16 compliant · 83

Fair Deal price is about the same as the Co. Dublin median of €1,413 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

The Fern Dean is a well-run nursing home in Blackrock, Dublin, with a friendly atmosphere and kind staff. Residents generally feel happy and well cared for, enjoying good food and a variety of activities. The home has mostly single en-suite rooms and offers 24-hour nursing care, including for those with dementia. However, some issues were found with fire safety, storage of items, and updating of care plans, which the management is working to improve.

Long-term care
Respite
Convalescence
Dementia care

What inspectors liked

Residents described the food as delicious and the staff as kind and prompt in responding to call bells.
The centre has a relaxed and friendly atmosphere with a large number of residents content and comfortable, including those with dementia.
There is a variety of social activities such as music sessions, bingo, and drums that residents enjoy.
The home is well decorated with comfortable furnishings and residents can personalise their rooms.
There is 24-hour nursing care and access to external specialist services like geriatricians and psychiatry of later life.

What needed to improve

Inappropriate storage of electrical and maintenance items was observed in multiple areas including the boiler room, car park, and stairwells, posing safety risks.
Fire safety audits were not consistently carried out and some fire doors did not fully close, reducing fire containment effectiveness.
Some residents' care plans were not fully up-to-date or reflective of their current needs.
Temperature in one medication room was too high for safe storage of medicines, risking their effectiveness.
Some areas of the building, especially the second floor, require repair and maintenance to ensure safety and comfort.

What residents said

“the food is delicious”
“it's a fabulous place”
“staff are so kind and prompt at answering call bells”
“There's really good communication with the management team, I am happy with the support provided”

Staffing: Staff are kind and person-centred, busy attending to residents throughout the day. Staff training is up-to-date including infection control and fire safety. There is 24-hour nursing care available.
Activities: Residents have access to a variety of group activities including music sessions, bingo, and drums. A monthly pop-up fine dining experience called 'Chapter two' is planned for residents and families.
Food: Residents described the food as delicious with good choice. Meals are served in dining rooms or residents' bedrooms as needed.
Dementia: Residents with cognitive impairment and dementia are welcomed and supported. Care plans for responsive behaviours are in place and managed to keep everyone safe with minimal impact.

Summarised by AI from the HIQA report of 12 November 2025. Check the report for the full picture.Source report (PDF)

Inspection history

HIQA judges each regulation as Compliant Substantially compliant Not compliantRisk: Low Moderate High

12 November 2025
Unannounced inspection · published Feb 2026
7 compliant2 mostly3 not compliant
ShowHide
Leadership and management
Training and staff developmentCompliant
Directory of residentsCompliant
InsuranceCompliant
Governance and managementLow risk · fix by 31 December 2025Mostly
Contract for the provision of servicesCompliant
Complaints procedureCompliant
Quality and safety of care
Individual assessment and care planLow risk · fix by 31 December 2025Mostly
Managing behaviour that is challengingCompliant
ProtectionCompliant
PremisesModerate risk · fix by 31 December 2025Not compliant
Fire precautionsModerate risk · fix by 31 March 2026Not compliant
Medicines and pharmaceutical servicesModerate risk · fix by 30 December 2025Not compliant
Read the full HIQA report (PDF)
26 November 2024
Unannounced inspection · published Feb 2025
8 compliant8 mostly
ShowHide
Leadership and management
Training and staff developmentLow risk · fix by 30 March 2025Mostly
Directory of residentsLow risk · fix by 30 November 2025Mostly
RecordsCompliant
Governance and managementLow risk · fix by 30 March 2025Mostly
Contract for the provision of servicesCompliant
Notification of incidentsCompliant
Complaints procedureLow risk · fix by 30 March 2025Mostly
Quality and safety of care
Individual assessment and care planLow risk · fix by 31 March 2025Mostly
Health careCompliant
Communication difficultiesCompliant
PremisesLow risk · fix by 30 September 2025Mostly
Food and nutritionCompliant
Information for residentsCompliant
Risk managementCompliant
Fire precautionsLow risk · fix by 30 March 2025Mostly
Medicines and pharmaceutical servicesLow risk · fix by 30 November 2024Mostly
Read the full HIQA report (PDF)
25 January 2024
Unannounced restrictive practice thematic inspection · published Mar 2024
1 compliant
ShowHide
A focused inspection of restrictive practices, such as bedrails, locked doors and sensor alarms, judged against HIQA's National Standards rather than the regulations. It isn't counted in the score.
Thematic inspection
Restrictive practices (overall judgment against the National Standards)Compliant
Read the full HIQA report (PDF)

Fair Deal price

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.

List	Published	Weekly price
HSE Section 40 #230	4 September 2026	€1,417

Registration conditions

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 31/03/2025. 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: 140.

Other homes nearby

Worth phoning too if this home has no bed available.

Newtownpark House
Private
Blackrock, Co. Dublin· 610 m away
Fair Deal weekly price
Price not published
Inspection score
88
Beds
62 beds
Phone
01 288 7403
Ashbury Nursing Home
Private
Blackrock, Co. Dublin· 1.3 km away
Fair Deal weekly price
€1,424 / week
Inspection score
59
Beds
91 beds
Phone
01 284 1266
Belmont House Private Nursing Home
Private
Stillorgan, Co. Dublin· 1.7 km away
Fair Deal weekly price
€1,407 / week
Inspection score
68
Beds
156 beds
Phone
01 278 4393
Aclare House Nursing Home
Private
Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin· 1.7 km away
Fair Deal weekly price
€1,430 / week
Inspection score
77
Beds
27 beds
Phone
01 280 1345
Ashford House Nursing Home
Private
Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin· 1.9 km away
Fair Deal weekly price
€1,402 / week
Inspection score
93
Beds
78 beds
Phone
01 280 9877
Foxrock Nursing Home
Private
Foxrock, Co. Dublin· 2.1 km away
Fair Deal weekly price
€1,418 / week
Inspection score
85
Beds
40 beds
Phone
01 289 6885

Inspection score

76/ 100

Mostly compliant

Getting worse

Ranked 71 of 103 scored homes in Co. Dublin · 76 of 111 within 25 km

Leadership and management89

Quality and safety of care62

What went into the score

12 November 2025 · counts 63%3 not compliant · 7 of 12 compliant · 72
26 November 2024 · counts 38%8 of 16 compliant · 83

Fair Deal price is about the same as the Co. Dublin median of €1,413 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

Long-term care
Respite
Convalescence
Dementia care

What inspectors liked

Residents described the food as delicious and the staff as kind and prompt in responding to call bells.
The centre has a relaxed and friendly atmosphere with a large number of residents content and comfortable, including those with dementia.
There is a variety of social activities such as music sessions, bingo, and drums that residents enjoy.
The home is well decorated with comfortable furnishings and residents can personalise their rooms.
There is 24-hour nursing care and access to external specialist services like geriatricians and psychiatry of later life.

What needed to improve

Inappropriate storage of electrical and maintenance items was observed in multiple areas including the boiler room, car park, and stairwells, posing safety risks.
Fire safety audits were not consistently carried out and some fire doors did not fully close, reducing fire containment effectiveness.
Some residents' care plans were not fully up-to-date or reflective of their current needs.
Temperature in one medication room was too high for safe storage of medicines, risking their effectiveness.
Some areas of the building, especially the second floor, require repair and maintenance to ensure safety and comfort.

What residents said

“the food is delicious”
“it's a fabulous place”
“staff are so kind and prompt at answering call bells”
“There's really good communication with the management team, I am happy with the support provided”

Staffing: Staff are kind and person-centred, busy attending to residents throughout the day. Staff training is up-to-date including infection control and fire safety. There is 24-hour nursing care available.
Activities: Residents have access to a variety of group activities including music sessions, bingo, and drums. A monthly pop-up fine dining experience called 'Chapter two' is planned for residents and families.
Food: Residents described the food as delicious with good choice. Meals are served in dining rooms or residents' bedrooms as needed.
Dementia: Residents with cognitive impairment and dementia are welcomed and supported. Care plans for responsive behaviours are in place and managed to keep everyone safe with minimal impact.

Summarised by AI from the HIQA report of 12 November 2025. Check the report for the full picture.Source report (PDF)

Inspection history

HIQA judges each regulation as Compliant Substantially compliant Not compliantRisk: Low Moderate High

12 November 2025
Unannounced inspection · published Feb 2026
7 compliant2 mostly3 not compliant
ShowHide
Leadership and management
Training and staff developmentCompliant
Directory of residentsCompliant
InsuranceCompliant
Governance and managementLow risk · fix by 31 December 2025Mostly
Contract for the provision of servicesCompliant
Complaints procedureCompliant
Quality and safety of care
Individual assessment and care planLow risk · fix by 31 December 2025Mostly
Managing behaviour that is challengingCompliant
ProtectionCompliant
PremisesModerate risk · fix by 31 December 2025Not compliant
Fire precautionsModerate risk · fix by 31 March 2026Not compliant
Medicines and pharmaceutical servicesModerate risk · fix by 30 December 2025Not compliant
Read the full HIQA report (PDF)
26 November 2024
Unannounced inspection · published Feb 2025
8 compliant8 mostly
ShowHide
Leadership and management
Training and staff developmentLow risk · fix by 30 March 2025Mostly
Directory of residentsLow risk · fix by 30 November 2025Mostly
RecordsCompliant
Governance and managementLow risk · fix by 30 March 2025Mostly
Contract for the provision of servicesCompliant
Notification of incidentsCompliant
Complaints procedureLow risk · fix by 30 March 2025Mostly
Quality and safety of care
Individual assessment and care planLow risk · fix by 31 March 2025Mostly
Health careCompliant
Communication difficultiesCompliant
PremisesLow risk · fix by 30 September 2025Mostly
Food and nutritionCompliant
Information for residentsCompliant
Risk managementCompliant
Fire precautionsLow risk · fix by 30 March 2025Mostly
Medicines and pharmaceutical servicesLow risk · fix by 30 November 2024Mostly
Read the full HIQA report (PDF)
25 January 2024
Unannounced restrictive practice thematic inspection · published Mar 2024
1 compliant
ShowHide
A focused inspection of restrictive practices, such as bedrails, locked doors and sensor alarms, judged against HIQA's National Standards rather than the regulations. It isn't counted in the score.
Thematic inspection
Restrictive practices (overall judgment against the National Standards)Compliant
Read the full HIQA report (PDF)

Fair Deal price

List	Published	Weekly price
HSE Section 40 #230	4 September 2026	€1,417

Registration conditions

Read the conditions HIQA attached to this registration

Other homes nearby

Worth phoning too if this home has no bed available.

Newtownpark House

Private

Blackrock, Co. Dublin· 610 m away

Fair Deal weekly price: Price not published
Inspection score: 88
Beds: 62 beds
Phone: 01 288 7403

Ashbury Nursing Home

Private

Blackrock, Co. Dublin· 1.3 km away

Fair Deal weekly price: €1,424 / week
Inspection score: 59
Beds: 91 beds
Phone: 01 284 1266

Belmont House Private Nursing Home

Private

Stillorgan, Co. Dublin· 1.7 km away

Fair Deal weekly price: €1,407 / week
Inspection score: 68
Beds: 156 beds
Phone: 01 278 4393

Aclare House Nursing Home

Private

Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin· 1.7 km away

Fair Deal weekly price: €1,430 / week
Inspection score: 77
Beds: 27 beds
Phone: 01 280 1345

Ashford House Nursing Home

Private

Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin· 1.9 km away

Fair Deal weekly price: €1,402 / week
Inspection score: 93
Beds: 78 beds
Phone: 01 280 9877

Foxrock Nursing Home

Private

Foxrock, Co. Dublin· 2.1 km away

Fair Deal weekly price: €1,418 / week
Inspection score: 85
Beds: 40 beds
Phone: 01 289 6885

Inspection score

What went into the score

What the latest inspection found

What inspectors liked

What needed to improve

What residents said

Inspection history

Leadership and management

Quality and safety of care

Leadership and management

Quality and safety of care

Thematic inspection

Fair Deal price

Registration conditions

Other homes nearby

Inspection score

What went into the score

What the latest inspection found

What inspectors liked

What needed to improve

What residents said

Inspection history

Leadership and management

Quality and safety of care

Leadership and management

Quality and safety of care

Thematic inspection

Fair Deal price

Registration conditions

Other homes nearby