HSE CALL IN THE ARMY
Troops answer SOS to help fight coronavirus outbreaks at 3 nursing homes
THE HSE has called in the Army after three nursing homes hit crisis point in their batte against Covid-19 outbreaks.
Last night the Defence Forces confirmed 25 soldiers had been deployed to facilities in Cork and Clare. They answered an SOS call issued by one site where more than 40 cases of the virus have been reported. HSE chief Paul Reid last night warned hospitals are now at “full surge capacity” and care homes are under “significant pressure”. In a statement released to the Irish Sunday Mirror the Defence Forces said infantry members from Collins Barracks in
care homes in coming weeks. The soldiers are not medical operatives and will not be carrying out any medical-related duties.
Instead they will carry out “non-clinical general duties”.
A spokesman for the Defence Forces said in a statement: “Following a request for the HSE, Oglaigh na heireann have deployed over 25 soldiers to nursing homes in Ballincollig, Douglas and Ennis.
“These soldiers, based in Collins Barracks Cork, will be deployed daily over the coming weeks to assist nursing home staff with non-clinical general duties.”
Cahercalla Community Hospital in Ennis, where more than 40 virus cases were confirmed, sent out an SOS call to the HSE following intense pressure on its staff according to reports.
A letter to staff shared on social media said the HSE had been asked to provide a assistance “due to the unsustainable pressures placed on all staff ”.
It added: “The exhaustion and unbearable stress from continuous long working days without a break over the past two weeks has taken its toll on the senior clinical and administration team. “They are physically and mentally exhausted and need a period of
time to recover.”