Dr. Siobhán Kennelly:

Everybody who is involved in trying to deliver care at the minute is acutely aware of the need to maintain contact but it is very determined in many cases. In all cases, as part of a set of preparedness actions that have been laid out by HIQA, that unfortunately is not represented here today, they are advised to put in contingency plans around how families will be able to make contact during an outbreak and during a pandemic. So there is a plan in place but it is very important that people understand the context within which people are trying to deliver services when a very severe outbreak hits. It will be very important in the context of the discussions we are having here that we understand the realities of the staffing issues and care needs. A structured engagement with families is necessary in all of these residential care units and they do their best to provide that. We cannot speak for private providers who are doing this and it might be that many of these questions might be more appropriately addressed to the people who are representing them here.