Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Staffing is a major issue. I know Deputy Heydon has raised this with me. There are four ways we are trying to assist nursing homes: through the direct redeployment of HSE staff; an agreement reached in recent days with home care providers to allow home care staff to be redeployed; to ensure a faster turnaround time for testing for staff and a priority for that so that the many staff who do not have Covid-19 can get the all clear and go back into the workplace; and the funding scheme that the Deputy referred to. I am very open to extending the timeline for that funding scheme. I did not want to do that too early because I want people to get the applications in and pay the money out. We are paying it out within 24 to 48 hours. I am meeting with Nursing Homes Ireland twice a week, and we have provided many clarifications about the scheme that it asked for. We have to have checks and balances but I will continue to keep that under review. I have no doubt that there are broader funding and policy issues in respect of nursing home care that we will consider in let us call it peacetime. For the moment, however, the scheme of up to €72 million worth of funding for private nursing homes over a three-month period is substantial. I am eager to ensure that it is not bureaucratic and I think we have made some improvements in that regard in recent days.

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