Call for radical change to nursing home sector
A DÁIL committee has called for immediate reform of the nursing home sector in order to protect the elderly ahead of an expected second wave of Covid-19.
The Special Committee on Covid-19 Response described the current model of care as ‘deeply flawed’ in an interim report, with a lack of statutory clinical oversight of care for residents highlighted as one of the ‘biggest weaknesses’ exposed by the Covid-19 crisis.
Officals are calling for an urgent review of current regulations and standards relating to the care of older people in nursing homes, a workforce and infection control plan, and strengthened governance as well as oversight of private nursing homes.
Committee chairman Michael
McNamara said deaths in nursing homes accounted for 56% of all deaths from Covid-19, adding urgency to his call for a clinical director to be appointed to every nursing home in he country.
The report also recommends that the Government pursue independent living and supported housing systems, which would better protect elderly in a pandemic.
‘The fact that the HSE still facilitates the placement of older persons in a nursing home with known infection control risks is, in the view of the committee, indefensible. This practice must stop,’ said Mr McNamara.
The interim report also recommended the strengthening of ‘regulations regarding staffing and staff ratios in nursing homes in order to protect patient health and to prioritise the setting of nurse-to-patient ratios in line with best practice’.