Written answers

Thursday, 30 July 2020

Photo of Fergus O'DowdFergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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1304. To ask the Minister for Health if he will set up an independent inquiry into the recent deaths of persons from Covid-19 in a nursing home (details supplied) in County Louth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20535/20]

Photo of Mary ButlerMary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Since 2009 the Health Information and Quality Authority, 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 responsibility is underpinned by a comprehensive quality framework comprising of 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, who under the Health Act 2007 have the legal authority to examine the operation of any facility under their remit. As you may be aware, HIQA conducted an inspection of the nursing home in question. The main objectives of this inspection are to determine the standards of care and support being provided to residents and to assess the registered provider’s statutory compliance with the regulations, as well as the governance, management and risk systems in place. The inspection report will be published in due course on the HIQA website.

The Deputy will be aware that the Nursing Homes Expert was established, on foot of a NPHET recommendation, to examine the complex issues surrounding the management of COVID-19 among this particularly vulnerable cohort. Separately the Special Committee on COVID-19 was established to consider and take evidence on the State’s response to the pandemic. It is important that we give due consideration to all of the information that we have now and will have in considering whether further analysis of COVID-19 and nursing homes is needed.

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