THE HSE is assisting 22 private nursing homes in Limerick that have been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Limerick Post can reveal.
There have been 819 Covid-19 related deaths in community residential settings across the country; 706 of which were in nursing homes, according to latest figures from the Department of Health.
A HSE spokesman told the Limerick Post: “HSE Mid West Community Healthcare can confirm it is supporting long term residential care facilities including private nursing homes and disability services in relation to COVID-19 supports.”
“The HSE is currently supporting 22 private nursing homes in Limerick City and County and 45 in total across the Mid West.”
“The HSE’s older person facilities in Limerick which are being supported are St Ita’s Hospital in Newcastlewest and St Camillus Hospital on Shelbourne Road in Limerick City.”
A local businessman told the Limerick Post he had desperately sought help from politicians to secure staff for a nursing home impacted by the pandemic.
His 95-year old mother, who is a resident at the home, has been diagnosed with Covid-19.
He said he found his mother in a distressed state in the care home, when he saw her through the window of her room, last Friday.
The man claimed his mother had said she had been pressing a button alarm in her room to get the attention of staff, but that her calls had not been responded to.
He said he did not blame staff or the care home because he felt they were trying their best to care for residents with a skeleton staff.
The man said he was concerned the HSE had not provided adequate Covid-19 staffing supports to the care home.
A HSE spokesman responded: “HSE staff locally have been working closely with the staff and proprietor of the (named) care facility over recent days and weeks.”
The spokesman said the HSE was providing supports to long-term care facilities. This included sourcing staff and providing HSE staff into private facilities within resources available; supplying personal protection equipment; education and training, and other measures.
“The HSE will continue to support providers of long-term care facilities in their obligations of providing care to their residents and will work with them in the event of an outbreak as required.”
“The Governance, Accountability and Responsibility for Care provision in private nursing homes rests with the proprietors of these Nursing homes which are regulated by HIQA,” they added.
At the time of going to print this Wednesday there were 585 confirmed coronavirus cases in Limerick, representing 2.7 per cent of all cases nationwide.
The care home did not respond to questions from the Limerick Post.
