Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 3 December 2020
364. Deputy Joe O'Brien asked the Minister for Health if there will be enhanced opportunities for nursing home residents to meet their family members over December 2020; and the measures in place to deal with the negative impacts on residents' mental health due to visiting restrictions. [40969/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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 continue.
As you may be aware, the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) published updated guidance on visitations to long term residential care facilities on 30th November. The new guidance which comes into effect from the 7th December, aims to further support long-term residential care services (including nursing homes) and residents in planning visits across all levels of the framework for restrictive measures in the government’s Plan for Living with COVID-19. Further advice is provided in the guidance which recognises that major cultural or religious festivals, such as Christmas, are of significance for residents and their families.
This new guidance outlines an updated definition for ‘critical and compassionate circumstances’, which now provides that, subject to risk assessment, residents may be facilitated to receive:
- up to one visit by one person per week under Levels 3 and 4 of the framework;
- up to one visit by one person per two weeks under Level 5.
It also notes that at all framework levels every practical effort should be made to accommodate an additional visit on compassionate grounds during the period of a major cultural or religious festival or celebration of particular significance to the resident, such as the Christmas/New Year period.
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 visiting arrangements, in line with public health advice.
Notwithstanding this, 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 across Europe. 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.
