Call for investigation into deaths at Ballynoe Nursing Home

The relatives of 25 people who died at Ballynoe Nursing Home in Upper Glanmire since the outbreak of a Covid-19 infection at the facility, are calling for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

The Chief Executive of the home which is run by CareChoice, apologised that communication and interaction with relatives “was not of our usual standard”. This followed claims by relatives that they had found out ‘by accident’ that their loved ones had the deadly virus, among other issues.

Gerry Moore, Chief Executive said: “We offer our sincere condolences to every family member and friend of our residents who have passed during this very significant Covid-19 outbreak in our Ballynoe Nursing Home, and we would like them to know that the thoughts of every CareChoice staff member are with them at this difficult time.”

Residents in the 51-bed nursing home began testing positive for Covid-19 in mid-January.

“At all times throughout this difficult and unprecedented time at Ballynoe Nursing Home, our focus has been on delivering the best possible care to all of our residents.

“We fully accept that at times our communications and interactions with the families was not of our usual standard, and we would like to acknowledge the hurt this has caused and apologise to the families. We are contacting all of the families directly to discuss their concerns and issues,” Mr Moore added.

According to Mr Moore, as soon as the outbreak began, staff from other homes, relocated to support and took on additional shifts to cover for colleagues who tested positive for Covid-19.

RESOURCES DEPLOYED

He went on to note that additional management resources were also deployed to support the home including a Regional Director of Operations, Directors of Nursing, one Assistant Director of Nursing, three Clinical Nurse Managers, two Human Resources Generalists and our Regional Manager with responsibility for Housekeeping and Catering.

An Infection Prevention and Control Nurse has also supported the home and management have had the support and guidance of the HP in the home, Public Health and a Consultant Geriatrician.

“Management and staff have been unrelenting in their commitment to meeting the care, medication and clinical needs of our residents.

“This has been a very difficult period for our residents, their families, and for our staff, all of whom have been deeply affected by the devastating impact that Covid-19 has had in Ballynoe.

“Every single resident that we care for in Ballynoe, and in all of our other CareChoice homes, is a unique, cherished and important presence in our nursing homes. Our entire care team is deeply saddened by the loss of those who have passed away during this outbreak,” Mr Moore stressed.

Cork Kerry Community Healthcare continues to support the residents of a number of private nursing homes where there are Covid-19 outbreaks, as well as supporting their own residential facilities where there are outbreaks.

According to a statement from Cork Kerry Community Healthcare, at present, there are more than 30 outbreaks in residential settings across Cork and Kerry including private nursing homes, community hospitals, disability centres and mental health services.

The majority of these outbreaks are in residential centres for older people, and the scale and impact of the outbreaks vary.