Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

This morning, many people's hearts sank on hearing level 5 restrictions are going to continue for at least another month. Infection figures remain stubbornly high. Throughout this pandemic, hospitals have consistently been to the fore regarding new outbreak figures. Not only are hospitals reservoirs for infection of vulnerable people, but they are also sources of new infection in our communities. These outbreaks are taking large numbers of vital front-line medical staff out of our hospitals, leaving the remaining staff struggling to provide care to patients.

As I have said for months on Leaders' Questions, we must analyse all the available data on Covid infections and make our decisions on what those data are telling us. The data indicate that we need to take a completely new approach to managing infection outbreaks in our hospitals. Last week, I pleaded with the Minister for Health to address the situation with regard to the management of contaminated personal protective equipment, PPE, in our hospitals. I pointed out that hospitals have complained that they do not have enough bins available to them for the amount of PPE waste that is being created. With such a high rate of infections in our hospitals, it gives rise to very significant risks of infection.

This week, we see from the minutes of NPHET's meeting on 10 December that the team expressed concern and sought clarity as to why mass testing was not being carried out in our hospitals where outbreaks had been detected. The HSE response to these concerns pointed out that decisions on mass testing are being taken locally by hospitals, which seek advice from the local public health department, and with involvement nationally from senior HSE management only where necessary. In plain English, the buck stops with nobody. When there is no one in charge, there is stagnation, leading to hospitals being a reservoir for Covid infection. We will never get our infection figures down unless we address this lack of leadership. This is a position supported by NPHET, which suggested in early December that the HSE establish a national outbreak control team to ensure consistency of approach nationally to addressing hospital outbreaks and engaging in mass testing. Is there anyone in charge of controlling and minimising Covid outbreaks in our hospitals? Where does the buck stop? Can the Tánaiste confirm whether the national outbreak control team has eventually been put in place?

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