Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I would like to express my sympathy against to all those who lost friends, family and other loved ones during the pandemic, including the many who were residents of nursing homes.

Since the start of the pandemic, the national response has continuously evolved to take account of emerging evidence and lessons nationally and internationally. Throughout, there has been a specific focus on older people, including those in nursing homes, and ensuring that the best possible protections are in place. Significant supports were put in place for nursing homes and the situation at national and local levels has been kept under ongoing and active review. As part of the Covid response, an independent nursing homes expert panel was established early in the pandemic to examine the management of Covid-19 in nursing homes. It provided real-time lessons and recommendations to inform the ongoing response. The expert panel reported to me in August 2020 and there has been significant progress and investment in implementing its recommendations.

I have stated previously that a review of the management and impact of Covid-19 in nursing homes is warranted. However, I have also said that I am aware that a review process, if done in the wrong way, would become lengthy and legalistic.

Ultimately, what matters here is that the families get the answers to the reasonable questions they are asking. We want to avoid a situation where that does not happen because everything becomes mired in legality, which has happened with others. That sort of process will not serve anybody. To that end, I have asked my officials to come back to me with options that provide a mechanism to address the questions the families have but to do it in a way that gets them answers in a timely manner. I will say more about that presently.

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