Local TD calls for urgent reform of nursing home sector

Dublin Bay North TD Cian O’Callaghan says urgent reform of the nursing home sector is needed.

The Social Democrats TD, who was speaking yesterday evening following the publication of the Report on Covid-19 in Nursing Homes, also said the findings highlight the need for a statutory right to home care.

“As the country stands on the cusp of a second wave of Covid-19, the Government must immediately act on the recommendations of this report to ensure the highest standard of care and statutory clinical oversight at public and private nursing homes,” Deputy O Callaghan said.

“Today’s report has highlighted the glaring gaps in the system which led to so many deaths of vulnerable people in our nursing homes during this pandemic.

“The report shows that we need to rapidly rethink how we approach the care of vulnerable, older people and is proof positive that privatisation is not working for this sector.

“We need to see care, clinical governance and the wellbeing of older people at the very heart of these services.

“The focus should be on high quality, publicly provided services, including a radical shift to home care to allow people to be independent for as long as possible.”

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation say they are seeking “immediate dialogue” with the Minister for Health on many of the recommendations in the report, particularly the implementation of the safe staffing framework.

INMO General Secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha said:

“Staffing audits are welcome, but the truth is we already know there are staffing shortages and that this is worsened when staff are sick or self-isolating.

“We also know surges lead to high levels of fatigue, which is a major risk in infection control that puts staff and patients at risk.

“In order to keep patients safe we must keep staff safe. We welcome the recommendation on routine testing for all staff and we have also requested that this process is in place in all healthcare settings, not just in nursing homes.

“We again call on government this evening, to confirm that they will amend the health and safety regulations and provide a statutory basis to the Health and Safety Authority to protect nurses and midwives and other frontline workers who acquire this infection in their workplaces”.

Mervyn Taylor, executive director of Sage Advocacy, a support advocacy service for vulnerable adults, older people and healthcare patients, said he strongly welcomes the report.

“We thank the NHEP [Nursing Homes Expert Panel] for their careful consideration of the many challenging issues brought before them,” he said.

“We support the recommendations set out in the NHEP report that a clinical governance oversight committee should be established in all nursing homes and its inclusion in the regulatory framework should be considered.”