Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 September 2021
974. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Health the reason the Covid-19 funding for enhanced infection controls and staffing has been withdrawn from private nursing homes (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41475/21]
View answerThe Government has provided extensive support to the Nursing Home Sector since the start of the pandemic. The Temporary Assistance Payment Scheme (TAPS) was established in April 2020 as a temporary, administrative measure to respond to the challenges being faced by the nursing home sector at the start of the pandemic. Up to €134m for the Scheme was made available for 2020 and 2021.
In broad terms, the Scheme has now substantially fulfilled its temporary purpose of providing financial support to nursing homes and residents to address COVID-19 and therefore phased withdrawal of support is appropriate. Standard Assistance Payments continue to be processed for costs incurred up to 30th June 2021. After this, in recognition of the residual risk presented by the virus, Minister Donnelly and I have agreed to the continued availability of the outbreak assistance element of the Scheme until the end of this year. This will ensure that contingency is available in the event of an outbreak.
As the pandemic has continued, many further support measures for private and voluntary nursing homes have been made available through the Health Service Executive (HSE), including the provision of PPE on a no-cost basis, the implementation of serial testing, the support and engagement of COVID-19 response teams and public health teams, the temporary accommodation scheme for nursing home staff and further supports. Many of these supports will continue to be provided by the HSE for the foreseeable future.
At the time of the Scheme’s inception, the unprecedented nature of the emerging pandemic meant that it was necessary to put such measures in place. There has been substantial support in place to assist nursing homes to build their resilience and ensure that they are fully informed and prepared for continuing to manage COVID-19 and fulfil their legal obligation and duties to residents. The circumstances are now significantly changed, reflecting both the success of the vaccination programme along with the considerable opportunity for nursing homes, over the past 18 months with the various support measures, to learn and adapt their response to COVID-19. This is also the case for every health and non-health sector, and service providers across Ireland must similarly adapt their service model in line with the wider public health measures.
Nursing homes were prioritised for vaccination, and the vast majority of residents and staff have now been vaccinated. Thankfully, notwithstanding the current epidemiological situation generally and the risks posed by the delta variant, the substantial positive vaccine effect is being seen in nursing homes with low numbers of cases reported. This is a markedly different scenario compared to turn of the year. All the relevant health agencies including the Department will continue to closely monitor the current situation to respond to any changes in the risk profile that may arise. On the 27 July, I convened an interagency meeting with HIQA, the HSE and the Department to focus on the current situation and ongoing management of risk. The HSE and HIQA have confirmed that they continue to closely monitor the situation and that all the relevant supports, including the COVID-19 response teams, remain activated and engaged with nursing homes.
The vaccination programme and other public health measures support the minimisation of and control the impact of COVID-19, with COVID-19 vaccines effective at reducing the risk of hospitalisation or severe disease. The disease will nevertheless remain part of our lives for the foreseeable future, in a manner similar to other common viruses and infections. Good infection prevention control will continue be necessary in controlling the spread of such illnesses. This should be a matter of course in all healthcare settings, as it has always been, and is supported by regulation and standards. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre will continue to monitor COVID-19 alongside other such illnesses and update public health guidance accordingly. At a point where the vast majority of residents and staff are vaccinated, outbreaks have declined significantly and where learning and preparedness, including at provider level, has had the opportunity to evolve in a supported way, the TAPS as a temporary administrative measure has fulfilled its primary purpose, within the parameters of its sanction. This end date of the Scheme was announced in October 2020.
