Oireachtas Committee on COVID-19 response.
Focus today: nursing homes and direct provision centres.
Watching live here: https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/oireachtas-tv/dail-eireann-live/

John McGuinness TD (FF) & David Cullinan TD (SF) have stated that large volume of correspondences requested were received too late by committee members (9:30am this morning)

Tadhg Daly, CEO of nursing Homes Ireland, & Mervyn Taylor, Executive Director of Sage advocacy, are the first witnesses this morning. Each will have 5 minutes opening statements.

Tadhg Daly, CEO Nursing Homes Ireland: planning was almost exclusively focused on hospitals despite understanding that older people would be disproportionately effected.

Tadhg Daly, CEO Nursing Homes Ireland: nursing home expert panel to be established by Minister of Health is welcome. Needs adequate representation by nursing home staff.

Mervyn Taylor, Executive Director of Sage advocacy: calls for roll-out of sláintecare. Detailed submission to committee with 5 recommendations on establishing an integrated system of long term support and care.

Tadhg Daly (to Louise O'Reilly TD (SF) to ): Because of vulnerability & complexity of residents, there should have been a plan. Surge anticipated in hospitals materialised in nursing home sector. Large transfer of patients from hospitals to homes without having tested them.

Tadhg Daly confirmed that, despite large transfers of patients from hospitals to nursing homes, nursing homes were also losing staff to hospital recruitment campaigns.

Tadhg Daly confirmed that there was no meeting with Minister Harris until 30 March but good engagement since then.

Mervyn Taylor, Executive Director of Sage advocacy (to Louise O'Reilly TD (SF)): would like to see data on transfer of patients from acute hospitals to nursing homes.

Fergus O'Dowd TD (FG) references correspondences between Tadhg Daly and D/Health.

Tadhg Daly CEO Nursing Home Ireland: Funding not the issue, issue was accessibility to PPE & testing.

Mary Butler TD (FF):
93% of fatalities in the over 65 age bracket.
4/5 of covid-19 positive residents in nursing homes recovered.
Nursing homes did not have sufficient numbers of staff or PPE (based on own survey carried out in April).

Tadhg Daly (nursing home Ireland): no representation in NPHET nursing home-focused groups.

Tadhg Daly (nursing home Ireland) calls for a roadmap for public, private & voluntary nursing homes.

Duncan Smith TD (Labour Party): need for committee to scrutinise any variation in rates in private nursing homes and HSE homes.

Mervyn Taylor, Executive Director of Sage advocacy (in response to Oissian Smyth TD (Green Party)): need for a continuum of care: housing with supports, co-ops, nursing homes etc.

Róisín Shortall TD (Social Democrats): care facility policy failures exposed: lack of statutory entitlement to home care (preference of most facility residents) & light touch regulation of this sector.

Tadhg Daly (in response to Deputy Shortall): do not have set staff-resident ratios (his opinion: matter for HIQA). Deputy Shortall in response: private homes should have policy on staff-resident ratio.

Mick Barry TD (S-PBP): request for staff access to sick pay (CEO Daly did not have figures to hand). Deputy Barry states policy of privatisation through tax breaks pursued by previous govs has resulted in current situation whereby majority of care homes privately owned.

Tadhg Daly CEO Nursing Homes Ireland (in response to David Cullinane TD (SF)) reiterated disappointment that NHI not a member of NPHET group on nursing homes, initial difficulties re access to PPE and his view that care home sector was overlooked by society.

Stephen Donnelly TD (FF): nursing homes not discussed by NHPET at meetings until 12 March (according to minutes).

Mervyn Taylor, Sage Advocacy calls for integration of private nursing home sector into wider health & social care framework across the 6 HSE regions planned under Sláintecare to address structural problems.

Mervyn Taylor, Sage Advocacy, looks forward to legislation legitimising the role of advocates-the right for independent advocacy needs to be recognised in law.