David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am not asking the witness to look back with the benefit of hindsight. I have said on previous occasions that people like Mr. Breslin and staff in the HSE were in a very difficult position when a virus came at us very quickly and real decisions had to be made in real time. Everybody accepts that, but we read hundreds of pages of correspondence, including emails, from March that seemed to be mostly one way. It seemed that the calls and demands being made by the nursing home sector were not being met. Very strong opinions were aired by the representatives of an element of the nursing home sector in this very Chamber a number of weeks ago. They talked about their being exasperated and said there was no specific plan, and they also said they felt let down by the Department and HSE. While Mr. Breslin has one view, the nursing home sector feels differently.

Let me outline to him where the sector feels there was a lack of support. It cites insufficient testing of residents and staff and a mass shortfall of PPE. We heard also that some nursing homes were forced to use painters' overalls. That was a shock to many. Also cited were aggressive recruitment of nursing home staff initially by the HSE and discharges from acute hospitals to nursing homes without testing. The sector seemed to hold a view that was the polar opposite of that of Mr. Breslin on both the level of engagement and the level of support being put in place by the State for nursing homes in what was a critical time, when patients needed to be protected.