Northern Ireland needs an urgent, multi-agency approach to stem the horrific tide of fatalities in our care homes

THE latest available figures on coronavirus deaths here show that just over 40% of these have occurred in our care homes. The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency reveals that out of the 393 deaths they recorded by April 24, some 158 occurred in care homes. Three took place in hospices, and the overall positive cases rate stands at 3,623.

First Minister Arlene Foster has described the latest care home statistics as “alarming”, and Eddie Lynch, the Commissioner for Older People in Northern Ireland, has underlined that our care homes are in the frontline of this battle with the pandemic.

These are indeed shocking figures.

One of the most worrying aspects of the coronavirus is that staff did not have enough PPE equipment from the start, and earlier this week a whistleblower revealed how some staff had to mix with residents who had Covid-19 and those who were healthy.

It is almost impossible to express the plight of the vulnerable elderly people in these homes, and the agony faced by their families, as they too sit out this epidemic, hoping to stay alive.

Many families were also enduring the pain of enforced separation from their loved ones as the homes banned visits in the attempt to protect the most vulnerable from a disease that is exacting a huge toll from the elderly.

In short, it is a total nightmare. Suggestions have been made for best protecting those at high risk. These have included moving healthy residents to hotels, or moving out those with Covid-19. In reality, every such suggestion may pose its own complex challenges.

Either way, we are still in the middle of this dreadful crisis, and the death rate in care homes is truly horrific. The onus is on the Government to prioritise how it intends to stem this awful tide of fatalities, and a multi-agency approach is urgently needed.

It is not enough just to watch this tragedy continue to unfold with a sense of inevitability. The authorities must do much more than that.