BOBBY’S PPE WIN FOR HIS MOTHER
A Drogheda man’s campaign to get better PPE protection for nursing home staff has been a success, with new government rules now requiring staff to wear masks and gloves.
Bobby McCormack began an online petition to improve protection for the elderly in care, as his own mother Cepta is in a care facility.
“She is being looked after very well in Gormanston Wood, and I rate their care very highly, but since the start of March it was obvious that no one was wearing PPE (personal protective equipment),” says Bobby, who is CEO of the NGO Development Perspectives in Drogheda. “It was through no fault of their’s or any of the nursing homes not using PPE, as unless there was a case in the home, it wasn’t a HIQA requirement. Basically, the official policy was not to wear it.”
So, Bobby began to write letters of complaint to HIQA and contacting TDs and scientists, to find out where the evidence was that not wearing PPE was better for the health workers.
“And there wasn’t any,” he says. “Meanwhile the numbers of deaths from nursing homes was starting to stack up, and it seemed to be a bad situation for the residents and also the staff, who were returning to their families.”
The petition attracted a few hundred signatures, but the ball was already rolling on a change of policy, which now requires all staff who come into contact with residents to wear at least face mask and gloves,
“Visitors and family members had not been allowed in to visit residents for weeks and we know residents were socially distancing so it’s pretty clear what is causing the clusters in some homes, so I really welcome the enhanced measures announced from the Dept of Health for nursing homes,” adds Bobby. “The stocks of PPE are still bad and there are still a lot who don’t have it, but I was delighted to see all staff at Gormanston Wood wearing it last week.” Meanwhile, Cepta is doing well and Bobby is looking forward to being able to visit her again in person soon.