Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 16 September 2020
Special Committee on Covid-19 Response
Covid-19: Final Report of Nursing Homes Expert Panel (Resumed)
Dr. Kathleen MacLellan:
The straight answer is "Yes". There is a significant commitment, by both the Department and the Minister, to implement the recommendations.
While not picking out any recommendations, there is commitment to implement those with regard to clinical governance and supporting the HSE with the Covid-19 teams. The report did, however, point out that clinical governance responsibilities in the first instance are with the individual owner, as well as the person in charge, and with that they need support through the HSE. There is a commitment in the expert panel recommendation for that. We are committed to providing a framework around clinical governance, as well as engaging with GPs in building and enhancing their role in providing support for clinical governance across those nursing homes.