merrion street

The Minister for Mental Health and Older People, Mary Butler, T.D., welcomes the publication by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) of new COVID-19 Guidance on visitations to Long Term Residential Care Facilities. The new guidance aims to further support long-term residential care services (including nursing homes) and residents in planning visiting across all levels of the framework for restrictive measures in response to COVID-19 contained in the Government’s Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19.

Welcoming the publication, Minister Butler said:

This is an important guidance document that provides pathways for safe visiting. We are all aware of the importance of continued social interaction and of the difficulties that have been experienced in maintaining these interactions in a safe manner, especially with older people and those who are medically vulnerable. It is critical that the right to have visitors is balanced with the need to ensure that visitations to nursing homes do not compromise overall resident care or adherence to requisite infection control procedures.

The new guidance provides enhanced detail and further clarity aimed at balancing protective public health measures and the mental health and wellbeing of residents and their contacts. Minister Butler continued:

To protect nursing home residents, especially those who are most vulnerable, the way in which nursing homes receive visitors will continue to reflect the changed environment in which we are living. However, the new guidance provides a clear and open framework for visiting. It provides guidance on the measures required to be adopted by nursing homes and by visitors to mitigate risks associated with visiting. It also re-emphasises that in circumstances where visiting may need to be restricted or suspended in nursing homes for the protection of residents and staff, alternative arrangements such as “window visiting” is acceptable across all 5 levels of the framework of restrictive measures, providing a nursing home can safely facilitate them, and that arrangements should be in place to support virtual visiting (telephone or video-link) to the greatest extent possible. Crucially, the guidance also provides further clarity on visiting in critical and compassionate circumstances, which is a key issue for residents and families.

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. While many nursing homes have shown great, innovative practice throughout the pandemic, I now urge all nursing homes to have plans in place for innovative, safe alternative visiting and communication arrangements for residents and their families and friends, during periods of enhanced protective measures.

The new COVID-19 Guidance on visitations to Long Term Residential Care Facilities is available on the HPSC website: www.hpsc.ie