Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 10 September 2020

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response

Examination of HIQA Report on the Impact of Covid-19 on Nursing Homes in Ireland

Photo of Colm BurkeColm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Why was it excluded? Why not include it in the information? The report that HIQA published, and even the presentation earlier, referred to what occurred since 13 March. We are anxious to find out what level of engagement there was with nursing homes between the time this issue emerged in Europe and 13 March. We have no information and it has not been presented to us at any stage.

I turn to the engagement with the HSE in the same period, January to March, and in particular the nursing homes that are under the control of the HSE or are fully funded by it. What was the level of engagement with the HSE to advise it that there was a higher risk in those nursing homes because several regulations, in the context of the advice that HIQA had given, were not being complied with? What communication was there with the HSE in respect of those specific nursing homes throughout the country in the period of January to April 2020? Again, I would like to see copies of that engagement with the HSE and the warnings given to it about the higher risk in those facilities.

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