Image: Shutterstock/Stokkete Image: Shutterstock/Stokkete TRADE UNION SIPTU has reached an agreement with the HSE on the voluntary redeployment of health workers to private nursing homes, in a bid to slow the spread of the Covid-19 virus.
The agreement comes after health officials last night said they are looking to expand the testing of Covid-19 to nursing homes where no cases or clusters have been reported, in a bid to slow the spread of the virus. Holohan said that one thing the NPHET has looked at is trying to do sampling work in nursing home settings that haven’t identified clusters so the virus can be identified in other settings.One nursing home in the east of the country has criticised the government’s response so far, saying that guidelines should have been in place for long-term care facilities as a priority in line with national legislation.
She said she received an “alarming” memo on 21 March which said if two cases were confirmed among residents in a long-term care facility, anyone else there would be assumed to have Covid-19 and would not have access to a test. She said the home had to procure their own PPE and any of the procurement orders that were placed weren’t fulfilled.
Health Minister Simon Harris is to meet with Nursing Homes Ireland this Friday to discuss the outbreak and see what else can be done to slow the spread of the virus in the sector.“Many of our using homes still hasn’t seen the coronavirus. And the nursing-home owners and staff are working really hard to keep people safe, to keep residents safe, and to keep staff safe,” Harris said on Twitter.