Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

I believe there should be a fully qualified social worker allocated to every nursing home in this country for the duration of the pandemic. Will the Taoiseach support that call, "Yes" or "No"? Such a social worker could act as a liaison officer with relatives, ensuring regular professional contact and arranging compassionate visits. The social worker would also act has a valuable pair of eyes and ears, observing what happens in these institutions behind closed doors. What happened in Ballynoe Nursing Home is completely unacceptable. Relatives were not communicated with for days on end and spent five, six or seven hours telephoning in order to find out what the story was with their loved one. I have made a simple proposal. Will the Taoiseach support it?

It is not enough to say that we will assess the situation when Covid is over. There is a need for a public inquiry which deals not only with the immediate issues raised by relatives and staff, but also the question of whether we should continue to have a nursing home system which is run on a for-profit model.

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