Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 December 2020
689. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the efforts that have and are being made to ensure that visitation rights as set out by Health Protection Surveillance Centre, HPSC, guidance for visiting long-term residential care facilities are being upheld; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39881/20]
View answerThe importance of continued social interaction of residents and their families cannot be overstated and every effort should be made, in line with public health advice, to ensure that these interactions continued, including through window visits.
Nursing home providers are ultimately responsible for the safe care of their residents. Under Regulation 11 of the Health Act 2007 (Care and Welfare of Residents in Designated Centres for Older People) Regulations 2013 it is the legal responsibility of each registered provider to make arrangements for a resident to receive visitors, having regard to any risks that may present for the resident or other residents.
I acknowledge and understand the frustration of residents and family members during this difficult time but I also recognise the need to balance the risks with the importance of visits. It is the legal responsibility of each provider to assess the risk associated with visits whilst having regards to the legislation. A provider may determine that restrictions may be required, if in their opinion visits would pose a risk to residents.
It is therefore a matter for each provider to consider the risks and mitigation measures associated with their service and how best to manage visits having regards to the specific circumstances that arise in relation to their service. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) guidance has developed guidance to assist and support providers in this regard.
The current guidance aligns with the 5 level framework of restrictive measures as outlined in the Government’s Living with COVID-19 Plan, to support long-term residential care providers in the discharge of their responsibilities and to support in the safe visiting, to the greatest extent possible, having regard for the challenging times in which we are living.
The HPSC has revised its guidance on visitations to long term residential care facilities, in consultation with relevant national stakeholders and the updated guidance is available on the HPSC website from 30th November 2020. I understand that the new guidance provides further potential for safe visiting within nursing homes. Visiting guidance was considered in the context of the wider COVID-19 situation, as we exit level 5 restrictions today.
It is also important to be cognisant of the wider epidemiological situation and the risks associated with same. On the 19th November, the European Centre for Disease Control published its latest risk assessment with regard to long-term care facilities. It highlights that the probability of COVID-19 introduction into a long-term care facility depends on the level of COVID-19 circulation in the community, with a higher risk associated with higher incidence rates in the community.
This highlights the importance of suppressing the level of the virus in the community as one of the primary measures for protecting nursing homes. As citizens, we all have a responsibility in this regard and our actions across all of society can directly impact the outcomes for nursing home residents.
I encourage all nursing homes to remain familiar with the latest public health advice and support, and to make every effort to continue to facilitate visitors in line with public health advice and to communicate with family and friends on an ongoing basis in order to support positive mental health and wellbeing. I have communicated with the sector outlining the need for them to be flexible, innovative and to facilitate to the greatest extent possible alternative arrangements such as window visiting, in line with public health advice.
