Health experts warn that current strength of the nursing home regulator is not enough to fight Covid-19
The Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) has warned that the current strengths of the nursing home regulator are not enough to deal with the pandemic in the face of rising Covid-19 cases in Ireland.
Deficiencies within the rules have been highlighted since 2013, but so far there has been no change.
However Hiqa stated that changes are needed in the legislation to give the regulator more powers to deal with the pandemic.
Further changes are needed to enable Hiqa to implement the recommendations made in the Nursing Home report published by the government last month.
Hiqa chief executive officer Phelim Quinn said:
“Covid-19 has brought into sharp focus the need to immediately review and enhance the current regulatory framework.”
Reform initiatives are vital in Ireland’s care of the elderly. He added that the Hiqa report mentioned for a change in legislation and regulation.
On March 13, it was reported that Hika had stopped inspecting nursing homes. But on the same day, the first Covid-19 case was confirmed in a care home.
Fine Gael’s Fergus O’Dowd has criticised for delaying the provision of proper care for nursing homes.
“Like everyone else we were learning and there is no doubt that the response that was required was not immediate but huge structures have been put in place,” Hiqa’s director of regulation Mary Dunnion said.
Fifty-six per cent of deaths due to Covid are in nursing homes, which means 0.65 per cent of the total population.
TD Bridge Smith said the figures were therefore alarming and called for a public inquiry into all that had happened.
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