Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent) | Oireachtas source

In April, I highlighted the fact that without a series of immediate interventions to help alleviate the staffing shortages in nursing homes, enormous difficulties would emerge. A number of nursing homes in my constituency of Laois-Offaly have contacted me in recent months about a chronic staff shortage due to staff members being out on Covid-19 sick leave and due to the fact that some were awaiting test results. This fact undermined the capacity of many nursing homes to operate efficiently. It put a huge strain on small numbers of staff members who had to work very long shifts and on the management that was trying to fill shifts and fill the gaps.

I emailed the Minister for Health about this particular nursing home in my constituency which was at crisis point. I sent that email on 17 April and I am still waiting for a response. I sent a copy of that email to six HSE managers in Laois-Offaly. It was only after it was sent a second time that I received a response. That is absolutely appalling. It sends a very strong message that our nursing homes are being abandoned. I genuinely feel that urgent and decisive action needs to be taken because those nursing homes are still encountering staff shortages and feel ignored. I spoke to a number of managers over recent weeks and they genuinely feel that they have been left out of the plan for dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. They really feel aggrieved. Government and the HSE need to get their act together fairly quickly.

As I have said, a number of nursing homes still require assistance. I acknowledge that 18 Covid-19 teams were put in place nationally and that 183 nursing homes had contact with the telephone helpline put in place to support them. While these are welcome gestures, they are certainly not the solution. Staff on the ground is the only solution in this instance. That needs to be dealt with quickly.

I also acknowledge that many community groups and volunteers have stepped in and made sure that PPE was donated to nursing homes. A business in Tullamore contacted me and I delivered some PPE equipment myself, as did a number of volunteers. That is unacceptable. There never should have been shortages of PPE. While I welcome the goodwill shown in all communities and that everybody put their shoulder to the wheel, there were gaping gaps with regard to our nursing homes. Answers are needed. I hope that there will be a review or investigation into how the whole nursing home situation was dealt with across the State.

I acknowledge that a little progress has been made but challenges still remain. One of these challenges relates to the continuing and troubling difference of opinion between the Chief Medical Officer and the director of Nursing Homes Ireland. Last week the Chief Medical Officer categorically stated that visitors did not bring the virus into nursing homes. This was in response to a question as to whether appropriate measures had been taken quickly enough. In response to this the director of Nursing Homes Ireland said, "I don’t know how Dr Holohan can be so definitive on that [...] I would be asking to see the epidemiological study on that." That was a fair comment. I too would like to see the evidence on which the CMO felt he could make such a clear and unequivocal statement. The reason this issue concerned me is that it highlights a growing sense that a certain level of institutional and reputational self-protection is already kicking in. There was clearly already a major gulf of opinion between the CMO and Nursing Homes Ireland in the earliest phases, particularly with respect to visitor restrictions.

I hope that this issue, along with many others, will be addressed during the proceedings of the Covid-19 committee. This has absolutely nothing to do with blame or fault-finding but we have to be constructive and we have to recognise where mistakes were made and ensure that they are never made again. I want a clear sense that accountability will be obtained without fear or favour and without a sense that we should always and in every case simply give deference to those who are making decisions on public health.

What actions and interventions are being taken to address the staff shortages in our nursing homes? These shortages are chronic in some nursing homes. I would also like a timeline of the actions that are being taken.

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