Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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1062. To ask the Minister for Health the extent to which it was possible to ensure the availability of the highest possible standards of care and attention for older patients throughout the Covid-19 pandemic; if specific deficiencies were identified with a view to resolution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41711/21]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, HIQA has maintained regulatory oversight of the health and social care services under its legal remit, monitoring information about services, carrying out inspections and supporting health and social care services.

HIQA has also endeavoured to ensure that the voices of residents and families continue to be heard.

HIQA's regulatory oversight from the onset of pandemic has included:

- contacting nursing homes by telephone every two weeks as part of its quality assurance programme;

- preparing and publishing guidance and self-assessments for providers to assess how prepared they were for COVID-19;

- assessments of nursing homes on contingency planning and preparedness for an outbreak of COVID-19;

- operating an Infection Prevention and Control Hub to give providers information on managing COVID-19;

- processing applications by nursing home providers to renew their registration or register new centres;

- carrying out risk inspections of nursing homes; and,

- providing the HSE and the Department of Health with sector information necessary to support nursing homes, addresses of nursing homes, staffing numbers and assessments of the prevailing risks.

HIQA’s continuing support for the sector has included:

- publishing regulatory information notices to keep providers up to date on how it is regulating services;

- focusing the work of its Information Handing Centre on engaging with people who contacted HIQA with concerns; and,

- daily escalations of the numbers of residents and staff impacted by COVID-19 and liaison between nursing homes and the HSE COVID Response Teams (CRTs).

In addition, HIQA has used the information it holds about centres to support the Department of Health, the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) and the HSE in terms of timely exchange of relevant information on regulated residential centres.

Where available information suggested that a small number of registered providers were not taking all necessary and expected action to ensure that residents received the best possible care the Chief Inspector engaged directly with the provider in the first place and if necessary utilised the legal enforcement framework available to her.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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1063. To ask the Minister for Health the extent to which families of patients and staff have had access to social workers throughout the Covid-19 pandemic with a view to the identification of possible challenges; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41712/21]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.