Get all the very latest news in Ireland straight to your email every single day Sign up! Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

A care home is employing 11 untrained JobBridge staff to work caring for the elderly, the Irish Mirror can reveal.

Hamilton Park Care Centre in Balrothery, Balbriggan, North Dublin is using the large volume of “free” workers to help care for their residents.

The private company has recruited 15 interns so far and kept only one on since JobBridge began two years ago.

They are also advertising for four more interns to work for nine months.

Their latest advert to appear on the JobBridge website reads: “Intern will gain practical experience in healthcare and care of the elderly.

“Applicants must supply suitable character references and be prepared to complete a Garda vetting application form.”

The advert says the intern will receive both formal and informal training during their internship.

However, they need no qualifications or experience other than an ordinary level Leaving Cert to apply for the positions.

The staff work a minimum of 30 hours a week for an extra €50 on top of their social welfare payments, working out at €1.66 an hour for the stressful work.

Hamiltion Care Centre said they would assign a mentor to support the applicants during the internship. The JobBridge scheme has come under serious fire from politicians and activists.

Socialist TD Paul Murphy said the situation in Balbriggan is a perfect example of the system gone wrong.

He added: “This is a lot of workers in one place. It is up there with the highest I’ve ever heard of and I’ve been campaigning for the abolition of JobBridge since it began.

“You have to have qualified people delivering care. It’s all well and good to be able to say there’s a mentor and training. But these people have no experience or training walking through the door.

“This is not to cast aspersions on those on the scheme. They have been forced into a system which exploits them.”

The official social welfare website reads: “The Department may not be able to satisfy all demand for support due to limitation on the overall funding available at any one time.

“While the Department does not intend to set limits on the number of employees that might be supported by any one employer, it does reserve the right to impose such limits.”

Hamilton Park Care Centre did not return our phone calls last night.