Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputies O'Dowd and Ó Murchú for raising this, and it is not the first time they have done so with me both on the floor of the Dáil and in person. The Covid-19 pandemic has led to an unprecedented challenge across our health services and none more so than in our nursing homes. I think it is fair to say that the health and safety of residents in nursing homes has been paramount in all our minds over the past 16 months especially. The National Public Health Emergency Team, NPHET, the Department, the HSE and the Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, placed a focus on supporting older people in nursing homes throughout the pandemic.

Every person who is supported in older persons services is entitled to expect and receive supports of the highest standard. Quality care and patient safety is a priority and our continued focus is and will always be to deliver safe, high quality services. The safety and protection of older people is a priority for the Government.

Nursing home providers are ultimately responsible for the safe care of their residents. Since 2009, HIQA is the statutory independent regulator in place for the nursing home sector, whether a HSE-managed or a private nursing home. The authority, established under the Health Act 2007, has significant and wide-ranging powers up to and including withdrawing the registration of a nursing home facility, which means that it can no longer operate as a service provider. This responslbility is underpinned by a comprehensive quality framework comprising registration regulations, care and welfare regulations and national quality standards. HIQA, in discharging its duties, determines through examination of all information available to it, including site inspections, whether a nursing homes meets the regulations in order to achieve and maintain its registration status. Should a nursing home be deemed to be non-compliant with the regulations and the national quality standards, it may either fail to achieve or lose its registration status. In addition, the chief inspector has wide discretion in deciding whether to impose conditions of registration on nursing homes.

During the response to Covid-19, nursing homes continue to be regulated by HIQA which, under the Health Act 2007, has the legal authority to examine the operation of any facility under its remit. HIQA undertook inspections of this nursing home both in May and September 2020. The reports of these inspections were published in late 2020. The May report notes that HIQA was satisfied to re-register the centre with several improvement-focused conditions including some on individual assessment and care planning. In its role as regulator, HIQA will continue to inspect individual nursing homes. For the purposes of providing additional supports, and as a once-off measure, the Department requested that the patient advocacy service extend its service to Dealgan House Nursing Home in order to support families during this time. This service continues to support residents with complaints relating to issues experienced during March to August 2020 and to support families of residents who sadly died during that period.

It must be recognised that the pandemic has not concluded and at this time a priority focus of Government remains on the ongoing management of the Covid-19 response to ensure that the positive gains now being experienced are preserved and that those most vulnerable to the virus continue to be safeguarded in light of the residual risk.

I am very aware that listening to families can bring great learning to many situations. While we are still dealing with a degree of risk in nursing homes due to Covid-19, we are continuing to look at options which may be available to the State in listening to the voices of those who have lost a loved one. I would like to conclude by expressing my condolences to those who have lost a loved one during this period.

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