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Catherine Fegan Occupational Health and Public Health Services

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Catherine Fegan Occupational Health and Public Health Services N 4 Thursday, April 16, 2020 IRISH INDEPENDENT News Coronavirus emergency Why a number of The inside story nursing homes have become breeding Revealed: the grounds for the virus true scale of hampering the battle? A: Healthcare workers in Q&A nursing homes have suffered crisis in our symptoms or been infected. They must not work, and wait for a test result, which up to recently could take 20 days. It Eilish meant nursing homes were care homes O’Regan struggling. Q: A package of measures including extra funding Q: The unfolding and promises of staff was coronavirus crisis in announced recently. Has Covid-19 clusters now present in more nursing homes and the this made a difference? 245 tragic deaths so far A: The feedback is that it than one-third of our nursing homes among so many residents is has been patchy. The HSE particularly heartbreaking. said the worst hit were Just how bad is it? first to benefit but many under the radar,” said Tadgh A: As a measure of how the home owners are still low Catherine Daly, CEO of Nursing Homes problem of clusters of virus in protective wear and staff. Fegan Ireland (NHI). in private nursing homes has Unions agreed yesterday to “This is something we have risen, we only have to look at allow the transfer of staff realised with the depart- March 21. On that date there from home care and public ment and to be fair it has were four clusters, but by nursing homes to fill in where been addressing it. What was yesterday this had risen to there is acute need. URSING happening, was that we had 151. A substantial minority of homes and homes that were ringing up homes have become breeding Q: What about the care of residential suppliers for oxygen and they grounds for the virus. residents who are ill in the facilities were being told there was home? are taking none left because it was all Q: Is it possible to break A: Dr Jack Lambert, the brunt of going to the HSE. down the reasons why infectious disease consultant N the corona- “I spoke to colleagues in the nursing homes have been in the Mater Hospital, wants virus outbreak, amid a chronic NHS who told me that oxygen so badly hit? to see more on-the-ground shortage of staff and alarming was being sequestered... We A: It is not unique to Ireland. medical care of residents in death rate. saw it here too, maybe not as Nursing homes in Europe homes by doctors. He points More than 200 clusters have dramatically, but we saw it have suffered badly also. All out they may have other been identified in all such with the private sector trying the more reason why there infections that are being facilities nationwide, and 245 to get access to that sort of should have been a particular missed. The HSE said this will people in nursing homes have stuff. It was all going into the Worried: Aidan Mahon’s focus on them here early on. be stepped up. died after contracting the national effort. The national mum is in a nursing home in virus. The overall death toll effort is Ireland on call, not Dublin. PHOTO: FRANK McGRATH Q: What about the nursing Q: The virus has not just hit from Covid-19 in the Republic HSE on call.” homes themselves? private nursing homes – is 444. Mr Daly said that he has A: Nursing Homes Ireland, how badly affected are HSE- One Dublin nursing home not received as many reports the private homes’ run homes and residential has had at least 15 deaths, with about shortages in the past organisation, is on record for centres? four elderly people all dying on number of days, but that the asking for help early on but A: There have been clusters the same day last week. issue was a “pressure point” “I have nurses from nursing not getting very far. in public nursing homes and A midlands nursing home in recent weeks. “PPE was homes who have been admit- sadly deaths from the virus. lost a third of its residents, getting all the focus, but we ted critically unwell to the Q: What makes nursing Centres for people with a with nine deaths over the bank were raising the oxygen issue hospital,” he said. homes so vulnerable? disability have also suffered. holiday weekend. because there were challenges “The reality is there is very A: They have a good record at One nurse, who worked sev- in getting hold of it,” he said. little co-ordinated service managing winter flu, which Q: What parts of the country eral shifts last weekend in a “Members are resilient, so going on at the minute. is serious, but aggressive have been worst hit by the Dublin nursing home, said depending on relationships “It’s all been put back in the coronavirus is in a different nursing home clusters? where there is an outbreak the they are sourcing their own.” hands of the nursing homes. league. Older people don’t A: The first outbreaks were staff are “overwhelmed”. 444 As the infection spreads I know there are nursing have a strong immune system in the east and it continues The woman, who asked not Total official among the most vulnerable, homes filled with Covid. The so they are more vulnerable to have the highest number, to be identified, expressed number of Dr Jack Lambert, a consult- residents have Covid, the staff to the infection. They’re followed by the west. But concerns to the Irish Inde- Covid-19 ant in infectious diseases who have Covid and (until recently) also more likely to have all regions are now affected pendent about oxygen supplies deaths in works in the Mater hospital, they couldn’t get a swab done. conditions such as heart or although the least infections available to patients. Ireland has called on the Government It’s chaotic. There is no organi- kidney disease. A patient with have happened in the south. “The HSE needs to get oxy- to mobilise a response to the sation from the top down.” coronavirus can appear stable gen in to all of these homes. nursing home crisis within 24 Many argue that the crisis but then rapidly deteriorate. Q: How rapid has been the This is a respiratory disease 72m hours. “We need boots on the nursing homes are now facing spread of these clusters? that effects your breathing Support ground,” he said. did not come without warning. Q: How would the virus A: As of April 12 there were and patients struggling with package “Most of these homes are It has been clear from the start spread in nursing homes? 151 in private nursing homes. it need oxygen. Nobody is talk- announced chronically short-staffed, they of the year that Covid-19 dis- A: One of the big problems This compared to around four ing about what is happening in by Health rely on agency staff. Up until proportionately affects the old was a lack of protective in the middle of March. our nursing homes.” Minister last week there was no way of and the frail. clothing and equipment for The issue of oxygen sup- Simon Harris getting testing of the staff and However, the initial focus of staff. It is still not resolved for Q: When will nursing ply has also been raised by for nursing no way of getting testing of the HSE and the Department all homes. There is inevitably homes get more staff? nursing home owners in homes on residents. of Health was to improve the a lot of personal care for older A: Unions agreed yesterday News the private sector, who had April 4 “There are huge gaps in the readiness of acute hospitals, people. Staff may have been to transfer staff where Universities been reporting difficulties in plan that the Government has as well as ramping up com- working in different homes needed to private nursing brace for a procurement. However, the put together to address what munity testing efforts. Mean- and unwittingly bringing the homes from the public HSE said it is working closely 200 was a problem a few weeks while, the virus took hold infection with them. Some health system. They include devastating with contracted suppliers of More than ago and now is a disaster in in nursing homes, where it patients were discharged nurses, physiotherapists, blow to oxygen to ensure continuity 200 clusters the making if they don’t act now appears to be running from hospital to nursing occupational therapists finances of supply to all users of oxy- have been quickly.” rampant. homes and could have been and healthcare assistants. as revenue gen and that there are no identified in Dr Lambert said that nursing “Unfortunately, the Govern- infected. The homes need to have shortages at present. the country’s staff from nursing homes had ment dropped the ball with exhausted all other means of dries up “The focus early on was on nursing become infected and ended up the nursing homes,” claimed Q: Is a lack of staff securing staff first. 12 PPE and oxygen has fallen homes in critical care units. Dr Lambert. N IRISH INDEPENDENT Thursday, April 16, 2020 5 Coronavirus emergency News RESIDENTIAL CARE ‘There doesn’t seem One-third to be any clarity – we of residents want to see roadmap in one care of help for homes’ centre die AIDAN MAHON’S elderly mother Phyllis is just one of the thousands of nursing home residents who have been closed off to the from virus outside world since early March.
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