Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 21 April 2021
1068. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education if there is a procedure in place to deal with cases in which a person receives contradictory information regarding their Covid-19 risk levels from Medmark and the HSE. [20214/21]
View answerThe general principles to apply to the management of COVID-19 includes the safety and welfare of teachers, Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) and other school staff and the minimisation of the impact of COVID-19 on teaching and learning. The current COVID-19 arrangements in place for teachers and SNAs are outlined in my Department’s Circular Letter 0021/2021.
My Department has an enhanced Occupational Health Service (OHS) in place, to provide employers with occupational health advice in relation to an SNA’s fitness for work. The current OHS provider (Medmark) has a process in place for school staff with health concerns about their risk of serious illness from contracting COVID-19, through workplace attendance.
A detailed on-line questionnaire is submitted by the SNA to the OHS, along with detailed medical evidence to provide clarity with respect to the medical issue in question. All of this information is reviewed by the OHS specialist occupational health physician, including the combined and cumulative risk that can arise when an SNA suffers from more than one health condition. The risk categorisation is comprehensive and follows the same process that is being applied across other sectors. An SNA is categorised into one of three COVID-19 risk categories. These are ‘Normal Risk’, High Risk’, and ‘Very High Risk’. The outcome of the risk categorisation is governed by the latest HSE guidance.
Where an SNA considers the OHS "Covid-19 Health Risk Categorisation report" places him/her in an incorrect risk category, he/she may request review. The SNA may provide additional medical evidence as part of the review process.
Based on HSE advice, an SNA categorised by the OHS as ‘Very High Risk’ currently must not attend the workplace. However he/she remains available for work and the employer should prioritise alternative working arrangements to the maximum extent possible e.g. working from home. An SNA in the ‘High Risk’ group who is not ill must attend the workplace.
Based on the information provided by the Deputy, the SNA in question has been categorised by the OHS as in the ‘High Risk’ group.
With regard to priority groups for the rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations, this is a matter for the Department of Health.
