Ms Gráinne Loughran:

Yes. We want to use nursing home staff as a comparison. In 2018, the role of the healthcare assistant was reviewed by a steering group and a report was published in December of that year. Among the recommendations made by the steering group was a proposal of a QQI FETAC level 5 healthcare assistant would become the minimum required qualification for entry to that role. Also, according to a recommendation contained in the COVID-19 Nursing Homes Expert Panel: Final Report, nursing homes are continuing to implement the recommendation that "All Healthcare Assistants ... should have a relevant QQI Level 5 qualification or be working towards achieving it." This is or is in the process of being implemented in the nursing home sector.