Care staff ‘should not work in more than one facility’
STAFF in nursing homes should be prevented from working across multiple sites, an expert study has recommended.
The wide-ranging report into nursing homes stated that adequate single-site employment contracts should be put in place to support this.
The Covid-19 Nursing Homes Expert Panel also recommended that all new residents be tested for Covid-19 before admission, and that all nursing homes should offer sufficient infection-control measures.
Alone, the organisation which supports older people, last night said it would like to see ‘immediate action’ to safeguard thousands of vulnerable older people.
And the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation is now seeking an urgent meeting with the Health Minister on many of the recommendations, particularly the implementation of the safe staffing contracts.
As of late June, there had been more than 250 coronavirus clusters in nursing homes, while more than half of all deaths in the country were associated with such clusters.
As part of the plan to improve nursing homes, the report has also recommended infection-control training should be mandatory for all grades of staff. The four-person expert panel, formed in May this year, published 86 recommendations. Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly described the report as ‘200 pages of wisdom’, and said the impact of Covid-19 had been ‘utterly devastating’ for those living and working in nursing homes.
More than half of Covid-19 deaths in Ireland have been nursing home residents, and Mr Donnelly said: ‘Many residents didn’t have visitors for months, families had to watch and try to communicate with their loved ones through windows. The panel’s recommendations recognise that systemic reform in the delivery of care for older persons is needed.’
The panel visited three nursing homes and spoke to residents and their families for the report.
Professor Cecily Kelleher, chair of the panel, said: ‘It was clear that healthcare staff worked tirelessly for the residents and all parties require supports, and this includes terms and conditions in work, issues around occupational health and other supports, and psychological support and issues around bereavement. The recommendations reflect systemic reform is needed into how care is delivered.
‘We know older people have suffered the most. We talk about centenary and the fact that we have 100 years of the State of the Republic of Ireland. Many of the people affected by this were the citizens and taxpayers who helped to create this State.
‘We owe it to them now to have a healthcare system that is fit for the 21st century.’
Fellow panel member Professor Cillian Twomey said: ‘I don’t think we can overstate the extent to which relatives, residents and staff have been through the mill. The nursing home I visited, what really hit home was that in the space of a 12-hour period, three people died. In the next 12 hours another two died. This does not happen and for the professional staff, it was utterly shocking.’
INMO general secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said they are now seeking a meeting with Minister Donnelly. She said: ‘Staffing audits are welcome, but the truth is we already know there are staffing shortages and that this is worsened when staff are sick or self-isolating. We also know surges lead to high levels of fatigue, which is a major risk in infection control that puts staff and patients at risk.
‘In order to keep patients safe, we must keep staff safe.’
‘Systemic reform is needed’