Johnny Mythen (Wexford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank my party, Sinn Féin, for bringing forward this motion. Its main aim is to have a public inquiry set up into the deaths of over 2,000 of our elderly citizens who died in nursing homes during the Covid-19 pandemic. It would also protect and strengthen the rights, safety and dignity of residents in nursing homes, now and well into the future. The purpose of this motion is to put into legislation better mechanisms, better procedures and, most of all, better governance to make sure the mistakes and failures of the past will never happen again. This will be done by establishing an independent safeguarding authority; through mandatory reporting of suspected abuse, with full protection for the workers involved; and through full accountability at high levels, including mandatory penalties and criminal offences where a failure in care results in harm or hurt to residents.

The Health Protection and Surveillance Centre data show that 2,051 deaths were linked to clusters and outbreaks in nursing homes. One of the ways we can stop this from happening again is by delivering truth and justice to the families and friends of deceased loved ones and re-examining the flaws and mistakes of the past year. We know the virus acted differently in older people than it did in the general public. We know the supply of PPE was a major issue for staff and that restrictions on visits had a devastating effect on our older citizens, especially when they could not see their grandchildren, even through a window. A recent report from HIQA stated that the absence of clinical governance was one of the factors in Covid-19 evolving in nursing homes. We must learn from the past year and a half by creating a better and more robust system that has at its core the capability of coping with a modern-day pandemic, with residents and their carers at the heart of any such changes.

We pay tribute to all the managers and workers who carried on, despite being at times understaffed, bearing the risks to themselves and their families. They are the real heroes. I also offer our sympathies to all those who have lost loved ones as a result of this virus. I hope this motion will be accepted by all Deputies and that a public inquiry will follow as quickly as possible to alleviate the hurt and grievances endured by over 2,000 families, including having to bury their loved ones without proper ceremony or farewell.

See this speech in context