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Nursing homes Ireland has expressed concern over a memorandum ordering the rationing of personal protective equipment for infected care homes.
Chief Executive Tadhg Daly said how the HSE directive described how orders for essential equipment would be based on the number of confirmed or suspected cases.
He said, “Clearly, this is basically EPP rationing, which is not appropriate.
“I have been talking about the need to implement all the necessary measures to ensure that the remaining 70% that is currently Covid-free is supplied with all the required PPE.”
The memorandum went directly against the votes of Health Minister Simon Harris to protect nursing homes, Daly added.
There was also a problem with the consistency and quality of the equipment provided, he said.
Minister Harris recounted yesterday how he spoke to HSE, which distributes more than a million PPE items to nursing homes.
He said that great progress has been made in relation to the team and that there are more flights on the way from China.
He assured the public that nursing homes in need of PPE can access it, adding that he had not seen the memo and said that clinical decisions were “obviously” being made regarding its use.
Despite a meeting with Minister Harris on Friday, Daly was upset yesterday over a € 72 million rescue package released without consultation.
He told Dublin Live that up to 5,000 nursing home residents who are not under the Fair Deal scheme will not be covered by the rescue package.
He said: “Nursing homes will get € 800 for the first 40 residents and then 20% will not be financed.
“The commitment of Minister Harris and the Taoiseach was that no one would be left behind during this pandemic, that we are all in this together, which is a national effort.
However, this funding will exclude some nursing home residents.
“And the fact that I only go to Fair Deal residents, that’s discriminatory. There are 5,000 residents who are not under the Fair Deal scheme, which will not be funded. “A mortality survey is being conducted to assess how many have died in Covid-19 nursing homes, mental health centers, and disability services.
Call center-related deaths account for more than half of Covid-19 deaths reported to date.
Over the next ten days, 30,000 employees and 28,000 employees and residents of all
The facilities will be tested. They will start in nursing homes where the virus has been found and move to centers where no infections have been reported.
The Department estimates that the number of tests will increase to 100,000 per week. And a new regulatory checklist for nursing homes is being installed.
Minister Harris tweeted yesterday that “much effort” had been made to slow the pace of the outbreak inside residential facilities.
He added: “Unfortunately, we have seen the world about similar challenges in this area.
“But that is never a reason to give up or not try as humanly as possible.” Daly said there was “a great lack of prioritization in nursing homes” by the government from the beginning.
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He added: “Everything focused on the hospitals and the protection of the ICU beds. But the increase was taking place in nursing homes.”
Dr. Jack Lambert at Mater Hospital said how he felt helpless to save older people who die from Covid-19.
The consultant, who has criticized the government’s handling of the crisis, said that many could not be helped.
He told Dublin Live: “They are between 87 and 90 years old. We tried to give treatment, failed. They were dying. “
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