The delievery of State Covid-19 supports to nursing homes is inconsistent and three quarters are struggling to access the full range of personal protective equipment required, the head of Nursing Homes Ireland (NHI) has warned.
Speaking ahead of a meeting with the Minister for Health on Tuesday, NHI chief executive Tadhg Daly said there was a “lack of consistency” in the provision of supports.
While Mr Daly acknowledged the supports had been announced in “good faith” and some nursing homes had received increased help, there was a “lack of prioritisation” in helping some of the most vulnerable.
The testing backlog was also “exceptionally challenging” for nursing homes staff who must self-isolate while they await a test or test results, said Mr Daly.
“What we’ve seen over the last couple of weeks is the nursing home sector is pretty much at the coal face of the challenges of Covid-19.
“ They’re caring and committed professionals but a large cohort are awaiting tests or test results and that is having a fairly significant impact on the sector.”
A total of 233 people have died of the virus in residential settings in the Republic, including 167 people in nursing homes (45 per cent of all cases), according to the HSE.
Some 365 people have died of the virus in the State with a total of 10,467 confirmed cases.
On April 4th, Minister for Health Simon Harris outlined a series of supports for nursing homes including; staff screening, prioritisation of testing for staff, provision of personal protective equipment and the appointment of a Covid-19 lead in each nursing home.
There were also a range of financial supports.
Many of the measures, such as twice-daily temperature checks and appointing a lead during the crisis, were already in place at most nursing homes, said Mr Daly.
“We moved very early in terms of preparedness and issued a communication to all our members on January 30th. We were in constant communication with the HSE throughout February and visitor restrictions were announced on March 6th.”
Asked whether more nursing home residents who contract the virus should be moved to a hospital setting, Mr Daly said any decision to move a person should be based on clinical advice.
“This is a person’s home so it is important the preferences of the person are adhered to. All treatment decisions should be based on an individual’s care needs.”
In a statement, the HSE said the testing of healthcare workers and nursing home residents was a “key priority” with testing for people in long-stay residential settings prioritised through the National Ambulance Service.
“Further enhanced measures” are being implemented around PPE management and supply, occupational health, infection prevention and control and the “cohorting of staff” to reduce virus transmission between units, said the HSE.
The Department of Health’s head of social care Kathleen MacLellan urged nursing home owners to ensure staff who become symptomatic did not come into work.
The €75,000 financial assistance for nursing homes with outbreaks of the virus can be used to develop infection control, employ new staff, conduct training and implement enhanced cleaning measures, said Ms MacLellan.
She said international information around the virus in nursing homes was "fairly scant" with "gaps in information" but that the Government and HSE continued to follow World Health Organisation advice in supporting the sector.
A survey by NHI of nursing homes last week found that 51 homes (24 per cent of those surveyed) said they had received a full supply of the PPE required on a short-term basis.
The research also found 178 nursing homes had 719 healthcare assistants unavailable for work due to the coronavirus outbreak while another 125 homes said the had had lost other employees.
Chief executive of Age Action Paddy Connolly said the deployment of home care workers into nursing homes would make “no sense and will cause a crisis in home care provision”.
Mr Connolly warned the “arbitrary withdrawal” of home supports without assessment or planning would leave many at risk, with “unnecessary fear among people whose health is compromised”.
“The State needs to put in place adequate measures to protect and support all older people regardless of their location.”
