HSE GUIDANCE A MAZE OF TWISTS AND TURNS

THE HSE first issued guidance on the transfer of patients from hospitals to nursing homes on March 10.

Under these initial guidelines patients with symptoms in hospitals where Covid-19 had been identified were required to test negative before being moved to nursing homes.

But asymptomatic hospital patients who were close contacts of positive Covid-19 cases were allowed to be transferred without any testing as long as they isolated in a single room.

The HSE updated its guidelines on March 30, eliminating the need for symptomatic hospital patients to be tested prior to being sent to a nursing home.

These updated guidelines stated accepting symptomatic patients was a ‘necessary risk in the context of maintaining access to a critical service’.

At this point, nursing homes were told to seek the advice of a doctor to manage transfers with symptoms – even though many homes did not have access to a GP willing to attend patients in the nursing homes.

Now the new guidance, just issued, advises that all patients must isolate in their own room for 14 days – and be tested. They must continue to isolate for 14 days even if their test is negative.