The Southern Health Board (SHB) has launched an investigation into an alleged assault on a nursing home resident by a member of staff in Co Kerry.
Five residents at the Dromore Nursing Home in Listowel have been relocated to other care facilities following the alleged incident at the request of the nursing home proprietor.
In a statement today, the SHB said it had appointed an inspection team to investigate the allegation.
It said the team comprised of a senior area medical officer, an assistant director of public health nursing and a senior environmental health officer.
The SHB said the staff of the nursing home, which is on the list of approved hospitals and nursing homes, were fully co-operating with the investigation.
It said the nursing home would face prosecution if it had failed to comply with the nursing home regulations.
When contacted today, a spokesman for Dromore Nursing Home said the allegations that a member of staff had hit a resident were false.