Letters that reveal what went wrong in our nursing homes
Covid-19: Government is warned against austerity as new cases reach two-month low
THE crisis inside nursing homes which led to a surge in Covid-19 deaths has been laid bare in newly published letters.
The correspondence reveals staff using painters’ overalls for protection, and facing delays of up to four weeks for test results.
Homes received patient transfers from acute hospitals without confirmation of a negative Covid-19 test.
There were also warnings that continued poaching of staff would lead to a “cataclysmic scenario” in the sector.
The claims are made in letters and emails from Nursing Homes Ireland (NHI), the body that represents the private and voluntary sector, to the Department of Health (DoH).
By the time the published correspondence ends on May 12, more than 60pc of Covid-19 deaths had occurred in nursing homes.
The hundreds of pages of documents reveal that NHI made repeated attempts from February to request PPE and highlight the lack of such in nursing homes across the country.
However, there was also fresh hope in the latest figures showing the spread of the virus was at its lowest since the lockdown began.
While there were nine deaths yesterday, Ireland recorded its lowest daily total of new Covid-19 cases in more than two months.
A further 37 new cases of people with the virus were reported.
Dr Colm Henry, chief clinical officer of the HSE, said the virus was “virtually extinguished”.
Meanwhile, the Government will today be warned by the Fiscal Advisory Council that austerity is not needed to address the economic hit from Covid-19, and would only worsen it. It comes after Philip Lane, the European Central Bank’s chief economist, said “the absolute (economic) bottom (for the eurozone) was probably in April”.
THE State’s health watchdog will only begin inspecting nursing homes that have been hit by coronavirus outbreaks from today.
While the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) has carried out 200 inspections of facilities since March 1, none have been in places where there were cases of Covid-19.
The situation – which emerged at the Dáil’s Special Committee on Covid-19 Response – was described as “disappointing” and “concerning” by Labour TD Duncan Smith.
Separately, a claim that private nursing homes were left “isolated” by the State in the early days of the pandemic has been angrily rejected by Fine Gael TD Fergus O’Dowd.
Hiqa’s chief inspector of social services Mary Dunnion told the Dáil committee that inspectors are due today at Dealgan House in Co Louth – one of the worst-hit care homes.
Mr Smith had asked Hiqa officials if any inspectors have travelled to nursing homes where there have been major outbreaks.
Hiqa chief executive Phelim Quinn said the pattern of inspections has been informed by what is being done in Europe and the UK.
He said Hiqa had reserved the right to do what it calls “risk-based inspection” throughout the pandemic.
Ms Dunnion said: “To date, we have not gone where there has been a Covid outbreak”, but she said “that situation is now changing” and Hiqa is moving towards risk-based inspections.
She said the inspections that have happened since March have been related to new centres opening, homes increasing capacity, and contingency planning at premises that have not had outbreaks – to identify risks.
Ms Dunnion also told TDs that Hiqa sent a list of high-risk nursing homes to the Department of Health and the HSE in “February/ March”.
Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall asked if Hiqa had received a response.
Ms Dunnion said the response from the Department of Health was “just an acknowledgement”.
Earlier, Nursing Homes Ireland (NHI) chief executive Tadhg Daly claimed that nursing homes were left “isolated” in the early days of the pandemic.
Mr O’Dowd insisted this is “patently and obviously untrue”.
The Fine Gael TD made the remark after detailing a series of communications between NHI and the Department of Health and how financial
assistance was provided within days of a request being made.
Mr O’Dowd branded private nursing homes as “very wealthy companies who complain that the taxpayer isn’t doing enough for them”.
He questioned how much private nursing homes have spent on personal protective equipment (PPE) and extra staff.
Mr Daly said it was in the “millions” and insisted the sector “takes its responsibility seriously”.
Mr O’Dowd called for a “total change in the way the care of older people is looked at”.
He said no one in Hong Kong’s nursing homes had died from coronavirus, and added: “I just get so angry at this.”
Ms Shortall and Solidarity TD Mick Barry later accused Fine Gael of encouraging the privatisation of care for older people.
Fianna Fáil TD John McGuinness said he believes what has happened in nursing homes during the pandemic is a “huge scandal”.
‘I just get so angry atthis’