CARE HOMES: ‘WE WARNED THE HSE’

By: Michael O’Farrell – Investigations Editor

TWO nursing homes in which up to 20 residents have died after contracting coronavirus have blamed bans on blanket testing at the start of the pandemic for aggravating the spread of the disease, the Irish Mail on Sunday has been told.

The policy of refusing such tests has been hastily reversed as the Government scrambles to address rising numbers of deaths in long-stay care centres.

But last night the owners of two homes with clusters told the MOS the tragic, multiple fatalities at their facilities could have been limited had blanket testing been available.

They spoke out as Ireland’s Covid-19 death toll reached 571 with the announcement yesterday that 41 more people had died.

Another 630 new cases were confirmed plus 148 older cases by a lab in Germany. The total number here now stands at 14,758.

However, Health Minister Simon Harris has told the MOS that he hopes to see schools opening for some days from May 5, and even some clubs allowed to have a ‘kickabout’.

Nursing home owners James Keeling and Lucy ­ Grillet (pictured above) ­ both ­ asked ­ for, ­ and ­ were ­ denied, ­ blanket ­ testing, ­ as soon ­ as ­ they ­ suspected ­ the ­ virus ­ was ­ in ­ their ­ nursing ­ homes. ­

‘They ­ were ­unwilling ­to ­blanket ­test,’ ­Mr ­ ­Keeling, ­ the ­ CEO ­ of ­ Ashbourne’s ­ Kilbrew ­ Nursing ­ Home ­ told ­ the ­ MoS. ­

‘We ­wanted ­to ­do ­a ­wide ­group ­ and ­ they ­ said ­ no ­ – ­ only ­ if ­ they’re ­ showing ­ symptoms. ­ I ­ think ­ they ­ should ­ blanket ­ test ­ and ­ it ­ needs ­ to ­ come ­ back ­ faster. ­ It’s ­ your ­ only ­ chance ­to ­isolate,’ ­he ­said.

With ­ 70 ­ inhabitants, ­ the ­ Kilbrew ­ home ­has ­seen ­Covid-19 ­deaths ­rise ­ into ­double ­figures ­while ­a ­number ­ of ­staff ­have ­also ­been ­infected.

Mr ­Keeling ­said ­he ­now ­hopes ­the ­ outbreak ­ has ­ run ­ its ­ course ­ in ­ his ­ nursing ­home. ­’I ­expect ­that ­everyone ­ in ­ the ­ building ­ was ­ exposed ­ and ­it ­would ­look ­at ­this ­stage ­that ­ those ­who ­were ­going ­to ­pass ­away ­ from ­it ­have ­done ­so,’ ­he ­said.

A ­ nearby ­ home ­ in ­ Navan, ­ the ­ Millbury ­ Nursing ­ Home, ­ has ­ seen ­ seven ­die ­from ­the ­virus ­while ­two ­ people, ­ who ­ are ­ understood ­ do ­ be ­ doing ­well, ­are ­still ­being ­treated ­in ­ the ­home. ­Test ­results ­are ­awaited ­

‘If that happened sooner it would be different’ on ­10 ­other ­residents. ­Owner Lucy ­ Grillet ­welcomed ­the ­Government’s ­ new ­ focus ­ on ­ testing ­ all ­ home ­ ­residents ­and ­staff.

‘This ­ is ­ something ­ I ­ certainly ­ would ­have ­welcomed ­three ­to ­four ­ weeks ­ago ­when ­I ­spoke ­to ­a ­member ­of ­the ­public ­health ­department ­ about ­blanket ­testing,’ ­she ­said.

‘It ­would ­have ­really ­determined ­ the ­number ­of ­cases ­we ­were ­dealing ­ with ­ at ­ a ­ very ­ early ­ stage.’ ­

Instead, ­ when ­ she ­ sought ­ help ­ ­initially, ­Mrs ­Grillet ­was ­told ­it ­was ­ too ­ early ­ to ­ do ­ blanket ­ testing, ­ a ­ decision ­that ­may ­have ­cost ­lives ­as ­ the ­limited ­tests granted ­took ­up ­to ­ three ­weeks ­to ­return.

‘If ­ that ­ had ­ happened ­ sooner ­ we ­ would ­ perhaps ­ be ­ having ­ a ­ different ­ conversation,’ ­ she ­ said. ­ ‘That ­ would ­have ­made ­a ­huge ­difference ­ to ­our ­current ­situation ­today.’ ­

Announcing ­ yesterday’s ­ latest ­ coronavirus ­figures, ­Chief ­Medical ­ Officer ­Dr ­Tony ­Holohan ­said: ­’This ­ week ­ the ­ National ­ Public ­ Health ­ Emergency ­ Team ­ emphasised ­ the ­ importance ­of ­testing ­in ­interrupting ­the ­transmission ­of ­Covid-19 ­in ­ community ­ residential ­ settings ­ including ­nursing ­homes.

‘This ­ sector ­ remains ­ a ­ priority ­ for ­ our ­ focused ­ attention ­ and ­ we ­ will ­ continue ­ to ­ monitor ­ and ­ support ­them ­through ­this ­outbreak.’ ­ To ­date, 62% ­of ­virus ­deaths ­have ­ been ­ among ­ residents ­ of ­ nursing ­ homes ­and ­long-term ­care ­centres.

By ­ Thursday ­ there ­ had ­ been ­ 335 ­ outbreaks ­ in ­ such ­ facilities. ­ Of these, ­186 ­were ­in ­private ­centres, ­ and ­112 ­were ­at ­HSE ­facilities.

The ­ MoS ­ can ­also ­ reveal ­that ­ ­elderly ­residents ­ showing ­ ­symptoms ­of ­Covid-19 ­at ­the ­HSE’s ­ largest ­care ­ home ­were ­being ­ cared ­for ­in ­ an ­ open ­ ward ­ with ­ patients ­known ­to ­have ­tested ­positive. ­

The ­residents ­were ­ isolated ­from ­one ­another ­after ­it ­emerged ­that ­ 11 ­ pensioners ­ had ­ died ­in ­the ­ past ­two ­weeks ­at ­ St ­ Mary’s ­ ­Hospital ­in ­Dublin’s ­Phoenix ­Par While ­the ­Government’s ­focus ­on ­ nursing ­homes ­has ­been ­welcomed ­ there ­has ­also ­been ­severe ­and ­sustained ­ criticism ­ for ­ the ­ delayed ­ ‘Nursing homes are a nest of infection’ response ­to ­the ­crisis ­in ­the ­sector.

This ­week ­the ­situation ­was ­called ­a ­’national ­emergency’ ­by ­Dr ­Jack ­ Lambert, ­a ­ specialist ­in ­ infectious ­ diseases ­at ­Dublin’s ­ Mater ­ Hospital. ­

Others, ­ such ­as ­ Professor ­ Ruairi ­ Brugha, ­from ­the ­ Royal ­ ­College ­of ­Surgeons, ­have ­described ­nursing ­homes ­as ‘nests ­of ­ infection’. ­

Yet, ­for ­the first ­weeks ­of ­the ­crisis ­the ­Government ­did ­not ­even ­ release ­ separate ­figures ­for ­ ­nursing ­ home ­deaths ­ – ­ until ­ they ­ accounted ­for ­ more ­ than ­ half ­of ­ all ­fatalities.

Then ­on ­Thursday ­the ­grim ­news ­of ­the ­ 11 ­Covid-19 ­deaths ­at ­ St ­ Mary’s ­emerged ­a ­ day ­after ­ eight ­deaths ­were ­reported ­at ­the ­HSE’s ­ Maryborough ­Centre ­in ­Portlaoise. ­

The ­Government ­announced ­a ­new ­ ­testing ­ blitz ­for ­ all ­nursing ­homes ­on ­ Friday. ­ ‘The ­ behaviour ­of ­the ­virus ­among ­vulnerable ­groups ­who ­ live ­in ­ these ­care ­ settings ­ continues ­to ­ be ­a ­ concern,’ ­Dr ­ ­Holohan ­said. ­

‘This ­sector ­remains ­a ­priority for ­our ­focused ­attention ­and ­we ­will ­continue ­to ­monitor ­and ­ support ­them ­through ­this ­ outbreak,’ ­he ­adde.

Last ­night But ­Fianna ­Fáil ­health ­spokesman ­ Stephen Donnelly questioned why the National Public Health Emer­gency Team (NPHET) had no rep­ resentatives from nursing homes.

‘There has been a major blind spot in the apparatus of the State in responding to this,’ he said, adding that neither the NPHET sub-­committee on vulnerable people nor the sub-­committee on nursing homes included anyone from the sector.

‘That’s madness and really, really irresponsible,’ he said. ‘The group of people who were really on the front line of this have no voice and they couldn’t get access politically.’

‘Nursing Homes Ireland CEO Tadhg Daly criticised a HSE memo that emerged yesterday suggesting that personal protective equipment promised to nursing homes would be rationed due to shortages.

He said it contradicted Government commitments and complained of a lack of consultation as a promised financial package for the sector is prepared.

Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín also called for clarity from the Department of Health regarding the status of the financial supports promised to nursing homes.

‘Not a cent of that money has been paid over, nor has a process for applying for the fund been established,’ he said.

Responding to the criticism of the Government response to the unfolding crisis in nursing and care homes, Health Minister Simon Harris told the MoS in an interview: ‘I think the hard and painful reality is, when you look at nursing homes or other residential care settings, it is extremely difficult to manage the virus. That’s not a reason, by the way, not to try and do it. But it is challenging.’