Covid-19 guidelines causing 'unnecessary fear' for Louth families of private nursing home patients, says Louth TD

Confusion about new HSE guidelines over what will happen to people in nursing homes if they contract the Covid-19 virus is causing Louth families “unnecessary fear and concern”, according to a Louth TD

The Sinn Féin deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú revealed how he has been contacted by families from the county this week voicing their concerns about the interpretation of HSE guidelines by some local private nursing homes.

The guidelines, issued by the HSE on March 25, detail the steps that nursing homes should take if a resident contracts Covid-19.

Mr Ó Murchú said one family, whose loved one is in a private nursing home, had been contacted last week and told that the resident would not be transferred to an acute hospital if they contracted the virus.

However, the TD said he had been in touch with the HSE and with Nursing Homes Ireland – the representative body for the private care facility sector – and was able to reassure the family that their wishes would be paramount when it comes to the care of their loved one.

Mr Ó Murchú said the raised issue showed how "better communication and compassionate consultation with families is urgently needed".

He said: "There was anecdotal information coming to me this week from families who were told that their loved ones would not receive acute hospital treatment if they contracted Covid-19. 

"This was a frightening experience for the families involved, but I have been able to get clarity from the HSE and the nursing homes sector about it and it is obvious that care plans for people in facilities will, of course, take into account the wishes of the resident and their families.

"These HSE guidelines, which were cited by the nursing homes, were not widely available and were not made available to the families until my office sent them.

"What is required from nursing homes is that they maintain communications with families so residents and their loved ones can be assured that any consultation and decision made about care in the event of a Covid-19 diagnosis is truly done in a meaningful and compassionate way.

"The least that families and residents can expect is fair, upfront and compassionate communication from nursing homes.

"The views of senior clinicians and medical officers at the care facilities have, of course, to be taken into account to ensure the best outcomes for patients, following best practice. 

"But everyone, without exception, has the right to life-saving medical interventions and no-one should fall out of that category because of their age.

"Families should feel secure and empowered to articulate their wishes for their loved one’s care in the event of the virus is contracted by the resident. They should have seen these guidelines because there was no clarity for them until they saw them.

"What is creating the problem, like in other scenarios around the Covid-19 situation, is that communication is paramount so that those who are most vulnerable are sheltered from the sharp edge of this disruption.

"Even if no-one expected the scenarios that the guidelines had detailed, families had not seen them before they were told about them and this caused a huge amount of unnecessary fear, when, with some compassion, a lot of it could have been avoided".