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 dated 10 February 2022. 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: 68
Other homes nearby
Worth phoning too if this home has no bed available.
Ranked 10 of 21 scored homes in Co. Kerry · 5 of 11 within 25 km
Leadership and management75
Quality and safety of care90
What went into the score
4 March 2026 · counts 50%1 not compliant · 11 of 16 compliant · 86
5 March 2025 · counts 30%2 not compliant · 11 of 18 compliant · 80
29 July 2024 · counts 20%2 not compliant · 19 of 30 compliant · 84
Fair Deal price is 6% below the Co. Kerry median of €1,275 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
Whitethorn Lodge Care Home in Tralee provides 24-hour nursing care for up to 68 residents, including those with dementia and palliative care needs. Residents were observed to be comfortable and well cared for, with a varied activities program and good access to healthcare. However, inspectors had serious concerns about the stability and governance of the provider company, which has been in regulatory escalation since 2021. Staffing levels in the evenings may not be sufficient for the size of the centre. The building is being continuously upgraded and residents spoke positively about the care and food.
Long-term care
Dementia care
Palliative care
What inspectors liked
Residents were observed to be relaxed and comfortable, with care provided according to their wishes and preferences.
There was a varied activities programme over seven days including group activities, one-to-one activation, and community entertainment.
Residents had good access to healthcare services including GPs and specialist services, with regular medication reviews.
Complaints were responded to in a timely manner and safeguarding concerns were comprehensively addressed.
The building and equipment have been continuously upgraded, including painting, new clinical sinks, and improved privacy curtains in twin rooms.
What needed to improve
The governance and management of the centre remain unstable with ongoing changes in company directors and financial uncertainty.
Inspection history
HIQA judges each regulation as Compliant Substantially compliant Not compliantRisk: Low Moderate High
4 March 2026
Unannounced inspection · published Aug 2026
11 compliant4 mostly1 not compliant
ShowHide
Leadership and management
Statement of purposeCompliant
Evening staffing levels may be insufficient to provide adequate supervision and care across four wings for 68 residents.
Some infection control issues were noted such as unclean clinical sink outlets and cleaning equipment stored improperly.
Emergency evacuation floor plans did not include detailed evacuation routes, which is a repeat finding.
The outcome of complaints was not routinely recorded in the complaints log.
What residents said
“Residents were complimentary about the care provided, the helpfulness and kindness of staff.”
“Residents explained they were disappointed inspectors would miss the visit of the Sam McGuire cup.”
“Residents were very complimentary about the food.”
Staffing
The person in charge is a full-time registered nurse supported by an assistant director of nursing and two clinical nurse managers who provide weekend cover. However, evening staffing was noted as potentially insufficient with only two nurses and three healthcare assistants for 68 residents across four wings from 8pm to 8am.
Activities
There is a varied activities programme seven days a week including poetry reading, bingo, exercise workouts, dog therapy, hairdressing, and visits from community entertainers. A clothes shop is organised every two months and there is a nail bar in the main dayroom.
Food
Residents were very complimentary about the food. Menus with pictures and written choices were displayed on tables. Assistance was provided respectfully and there was sufficient staff to help during meals. Snacks and beverages were offered throughout the day.
Dementia
The centre accommodates residents with dementia and cognitive decline and provides care accordingly, but no dedicated or secure dementia unit is described.
Summarised by AI from the HIQA report of 4 March 2026. Check the report for the full picture.Source report (PDF)
Persons in charge
Compliant
StaffingLow risk · fix by 15 June 2026Mostly
InsuranceCompliant
Governance and managementModerate risk · fix by 30 November 2026Not compliant
Notification of incidentsCompliant
Complaints procedureLow risk · fix by 11 May 2026Mostly
Quality and safety of care
Individual assessment and care planCompliant
Health careCompliant
ProtectionCompliant
Residents' rightsCompliant
PremisesCompliant
Risk managementCompliant
Infection controlLow risk · fix by 31 December 2026Mostly
Fire precautionsLow risk · fix by 30 May 2026Mostly