Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank Ms Dunnion. A question that is perhaps more relevant for the witnesses from the HSE concerns how infection control is going to change how nursing homes operate. We are all trying to cope with social distancing, including down to the other side of Leinster House here. Fewer people are going to be in nursing homes as a result of social distancing. How will the system cope, on the statutory side in particular, with those changes and that impact? Is there concern about a reduction in admissions to nursing homes and the knock-on effects? If that happens, there will be a major loss of income from falling numbers. How does the HSE see the nursing home sector in general managing to cope with that? If the private sector is under more pressure, will that in turn put more pressure on statutory and community services?