Ms Brigid Doherty:

I agree with the Deputy about the families. The lack of information is frustrating for families or for whomsoever is making the complaint around the care. The onset of Covid has highlighted this even more. It has brought it to the fore because of families not being able to visit residents. There is, therefore, a huge gap in information about how the care is provided and certainly with end-of-life care as to how those last few days or weeks of life are. That is a huge issue and it will have implications for the grieving process on an ongoing basis but people will not begin to grieve for their lost relatives until they get the answers. I suggest that advocacy, which is there and is already set up, should be encouraged by the nursing homes and by HIQA to support residents and their families in investigations until the Department of Health has-----