Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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116. To ask the Minister for Health if the Government has further considered setting up a commission of inquiry to seek the truth for families on the significant loss of life in a nursing home (details supplied) during the initial wave of Covid-19 in 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25453/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Since the start of the pandemic there has been significant and ongoing consideration of the impact of COVID-19 and the evolution of the response to it, as evidence and knowledge emerged and as national and international understanding of the virus evolved. Throughout, this has included a specific and sustained focus on older persons, and in particular, those resident in nursing homes. Various examinations and development of reports with a focus on COVID-19, its impact on nursing homes and the pandemic learnings that can inform future policy, regulation and the model of care for older persons have been undertaken.

In particular, the independent COVID-19 Nursing Homes Expert Panel was established in May 2020, on foot of a NPHET recommendation, to examine the complex issues surrounding the management of COVID-19 among this particularly vulnerable cohort in nursing homes and to provide real-time learnings and recommendations to inform the ongoing approach to the management and mitigation of risk to older persons resident in nursing homes as the pandemic evolved. This report outlines the key protective measures that we must ensure are in place across our nursing homes, based on learning from our own and the international experience of COVID-19.

Significant progress has already been made in implementing the recommendations of the Expert Panel, particularly those recommendations requiring a priority focus in the response to COVID-19, and work to progress medium and longer term reform recommendations is ongoing across all of the health agencies and stakeholders.

More broadly, the Taoiseach has indicated that a comprehensive evaluation of how the country managed COVID-19 will be undertaken which will provide an opportunity to learn lessons from our experiences in dealing with a pandemic over the past 2 years. This will help ensure that we are in a better, stronger position if another pandemic or another similar type emergency arrives. Consideration is being given as to what the best model for this evaluation will be.

In addition, I established a Public Health Reform Expert Advisory Group in January 2022. The Expert Group will initially focus on identifying learnings from the public health components of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland with a view towards strengthening health protection generally and future public health pandemic preparedness specifically. It is important that we have a strong and robust embedded public health system into the future.