Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 September 2022
238. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Health if his Department has considered the administration of the front-line pandemic payment for private nursing home staff who either no longer work in that nursing home or in cases in which the nursing home has closed down; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47376/22]
View answerFirstly, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to all healthcare workers for their efforts during this most challenging period.
While I am not in a position to address more specific or individual queries at this point, I can confirm that t he HSE and my Department have been working to progress the rollout of the Pandemic Recognition Payment to the list of 6 non-HSE/non-Section 38 organisation types covered by the Government Decision. This measure will be ring fenced to staff working ordinarily onsite in COVID-19 exposed healthcare environments. This shall cover eligible staff in:
1. Private Sector Nursing Homes and Hospices (e.g. Private, Voluntary, Section 39 etc.);
2. Eligible staff working on-site in Section 39 long-term residential care facilities for people with disabilities;
3. Agency roles working in the HSE;
4. Health Care Support Assistants (also known as home help/home care/home support) contracted to the HSE;
5. Members of the Defence Forces redeployed to work in frontline Covid-19 exposed environments in the HSE;
6. Paramedics employed by Dublin Fire Brigade to deliver services on behalf of the HSE.
Rolling out the payment to eligible employees of those specific non-HSE/Section 38 organisations covered by the government decision is a complex task, particularly as these employees are not normally paid by the public health service, duplicate payments need to be avoided, and there are many organisations to be covered, but this work is being given priority attention.
Regarding cohorts 1-4, a contractor is being sought to assist with gathering and processing information, with a tendering deadline of 23 September. Once a contractor is in place and details of the necessary processes are finalised, information will be published for those certain eligible non-HSE/non-Section 38 healthcare employees that are covered by the Government Decision and the process available to their employers to implement this measure for their eligible staff. Once this information is published, the Department is keen that payments to eligible workers will be made as soon as possible thereafter. It is expected that at that point the Department will be able to give further information on matters such as those raised by the Deputy.
Regarding cohorts 5 and 6, the Department and HSE are engaging with other Departments involved to progress payments as soon as possible for eligible staff.
