Cluster at Campile nursing home
THE owners of Cherry Grove nursing home have confirmed cases of Covid-19 among residents and staff at the Campile premises.
Cherry Grove nursing home is a 60 bed facility, which has around 50 residents.
The owners said in a statement that a specialised plan to provide appropriate care to residents and staff has been implemented at the Campile premises, where a cluster of Covid-19 deaths and multiple cases have been confirmed.
There have been several confirmed deaths of Co Wexford people at the Campile nursing home over recent days.
In a statement owner Tom Cummins said: ‘Cherry Grove Nursing Home can confirm cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed amongst residents and staff. We are engaging with the HSE and relevant authorities during this difficult time and have implemented a specialised plan to provide appropriate care to residents and staff. Covid-19 presents considerable challenges for our nursing home and nursing homes across Ireland. We take this opportunity to thank our staff and the extended community for their fantastic commitment and dedication.’
He said: ‘During this difficult time, we remain committed to providing residents with the best possible care. We ask the media to respect the privacy of the residents and staff during this difficult time and we will not be commenting further.’
Businessman and former county councillor Willie Fitzharris said he visited a lady he helps care for at Cherry Grove Nursing Home recently, saying the management and staff have done everything humanly possible to ensure residents’ needs are met.
The local woman is 88 and was one of several patients tested for Covid-19 on Friday.
Willie said: ‘Her test returned positive on Sunday. This woman is healthy and is a real fighter; please God she will pull through. People are criticising nursing homes and are saying they don’t have enough personal protective equipment. I don’t know if there is anything more that’s humanly possible than what they have done. Both Tom and Siobhan have played a blinder from the word go with this virus. They left nothing to chance and went into lockdown as soon as the virus hit six weeks ago.’
It was announced on Monday that the HSE has created a network of expert support teams across counties the south east to provide assistance to residential facilities like Cherry Grove for older people during the Covid-19 crisis. These support teams comprise staff from the acute hospitals and community healthcare services, with support from Public Health specialists and Infection Control professionals.
The teams are led by experienced nurse managers from South East Community Healthcare and are made up of senior doctors and nurses from acute hospitals and the community service.
These HSE Clinical Support Teams have been providing expert clinical support to Nursing Managers and General Practitioners in residential facilities for several weeks. Janette Dwyer (Head of Service/Social Care, South East Community Healthcare) says: ‘We want to reassure the public that there are very clear pathways set up to make sure that every resident in every nursing home and residential facility gets the appropriate medical and nursing care at the right time and in the right care setting, in keeping with their own values and expectations. We want to stress that transfer to acute hospitals is arranged when clinically appropriate and that acute hospitals are there to support all members of the community.
‘All private nursing home and residential care facilities in Wexford have been contacted by a member of the local clinical support teams. The support offered so far has included expert advice, support for management, public health guidance, occupational health advice, supply of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), assistance in sourcing staff where needed and Support in sourcing accommodation for staff where it’s needed.’
All nursing homes and residential care facilities have direct contact details for HSE Community Support Teams in their area and these teams are available seven days a week.