Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I want to raise the issue of vaccinations for residents of care homes owned and operated by religious congregations and for those elderly members of religious orders who are living in congregated settings generally.

I wish to preface my remarks by saying how much I and others appreciate the hard work that is being done by the HSE and by people generally on the front line in the healthcare sector. I feel self-conscious raising issues but part of our role as politicians is to ask hard questions when we feel they need to be asked. It is not done in any way to minimise the stresses, strains and difficulties of the tasks that people face. My engagement with the HSE has been satisfactory and yet there are hard questions that I and others will feel the need to put.

I raised the issue of vaccinations for elderly members of religious orders living in congregated settings on the Order of Business on 19 January and during the statements on vaccinations on 26 January. I have had some private correspondence with the Minister and the task force in the intervening weeks. I have great concern that, despite reassurances I have received, the HSE has been behind the curve on this and that there is a risk of lives being lost as a result. The net issue here is that the care homes owned and operated by religious congregations were voluntary and private homes and were not monitored by HIQA. For a good while, there has been a great fear among residents, their families and staff that these care homes would fall through the cracks, as residents of other HIQA-regulated care homes were vaccinated. People who have been in touch with me have always been at pains to say they are not trying to jump any queue but that they want to make sure they do not fall through the cracks.

I have received helpful replies from Mr. David Walsh and Dr. Colm Henry on 2 February. The intention was expressed that vaccinations would begin in such facilities on or around 12 February and I believe that is happening. It was back in June 2020 that the issue of support to non-HIQA regulated settings where members of religious orders might reside was raised by Deputy Ó Cuív in the Dáil. It was clear at the time that Covid response teams were supporting all residential settings with issues such as specialist advice, personal protective equipment, PPE, oxygen and extra staff, including settings not obliged to register with HIQA, such as some religious congregated settings. I know there is great gratitude for the support that was received from the HSE in matters such as PPE and other such supports.

Yet, having learned the lessons of April and May of last year when the HSE was engaged directly with these non-HIQA regulated care homes, it was concerning to read on 5 February, last Friday, in The Irish Times, that the HSE stated it did not know how many retired clergy were living in congregated sittings. The chief operations officer said they had no line of sight outside what was registered with HIQA. She said the HSE was trying to capture them through different channels but there were channels it did not know about and it was making a list of them at that time. I have to ask why, 11 months into the pandemic, nine months after the scale of the loss of life in nursing homes had become clear and eight months after the HSE was putting procedures in place for such settings to be liaised with directly, that line of sight was not there right from the get-go? We are all deeply conscious that every day more lives are lost. That is why the question must be put.

I stressed at the outset that it is not a question of those in religious orders wanting to jump the queue but there is an issue of psychological reassurance. Even last night I was talking to the prior of a small elderly community who told me it would be helpful if they just knew when it would be. The prior also asked me who they should liaise with. There is no clarity or no sense that there is a go-to person who can give an answer and point out where they are on the list and when they will get the vaccine. That kind of thing is crucial and it brings tremendous psychological reassurance. There is also the concern about the associated staff who are supporting these people, even if they are not elderly themselves. However, if they have continuous contact then the question of cross-infection arises and the wisdom of vaccinating them as well comes into play.