Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 July 2022
1712. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the progress that has been made on the implementation of the recommendations by the Covid-19 nursing home expert panel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40069/22]
View answerThe Nursing Home Expert Panel’s recommendations have provided a guiding framework not only for the pandemic response in nursing homes over the last two years but also more broadly for a wide-ranging programme of improvement and reform for older persons’ care.
The recommendations in the Expert Panel report were two-fold in nature: firstly, immediate actions required for the ongoing protection and support for nursing home residents during the pandemic and, secondly, medium- and longer-term recommendations in relation to broader system reforms to enhance and better integrate nursing home care and older persons care more broadly.
The Government is committed to the implementation of the Expert Panel recommendations. The fourth progress report on the implementation of the recommendations, published in June 2022, highlights the important progress that has already taken place across a number of areas and sets out clearly the structures and processes that have been established to ensure continued implementation. All four Progress Reports are available on my Department’s website (www.gov.ie/en/publication/c7f5b-covid-19-nursing-homes-expert-panel-report-implementation-oversight-team/#progress-reports).
Many of the short and medium term recommendations, which were aimed at safeguarding people living in nursing homes against the COVID-19 virus, have already been implemented and mainstreamed into normal operations.
Progress in relation to the medium to longer term strategic reforms recommended by the Expert Panel include:
- The provision of over €22m in Budget 2022 for the main streaming of a range of Expert Panel recommendations, including the establishment of permanent Community Support Teams, piloting of clinical governance oversight committees and the development of a Safe Staffing Framework for the sector;
- The development of legislative proposals to enhance governance and oversight of nursing homes;
- The roll-out of a National Nursing Home Experience Survey this year, and the development of a National End of Life Survey for 2023;
- The extension of Patient Advocacy Service to all nursing homes before the end of 2022;
- The development of a multi-annual End of Life Care Education, Training and Support Programme for nursing homes; and
- A cross-Department Strategic Workforce Advisory Group is examining workforce challenges in front-line carer roles in home support and nursing homes and will report in September 2022.
An update across all 86 recommendations is provided in the fourth progress report, published in June 2022.
