Nursing home Covid deaths
Fergus O'Dowd called for an investigation into nursing home deaths during Covid, citing the high proportion of early pandemic fatalities in such settings and families in Dealgan House. The Health Minister said families deserved answers but warned that formal findings quickly become legalistic.
Two and a half years ago, Covid struck our shores and thousands of people have died since. Some 63% of those who died in the first four months of Covid in Ireland died in nursing homes. That figure compares to 41% in the UK and 47% in Sweden. The fact remains that we need an investigation into these deaths. If these were children, I would not have to stand here to ask this question. The Taoiseach said in January of this year that he was considering a variety of options to meet the needs and concerns of families whose 22 relatives died in Dealgan House nursing home in Dundalk, so why has nothing happened? I have put down questions to the Minister for Health. As far as I am concerned, his reply to the last question was a stonewalling answer to the families. It is insulting them and they feel very much aggrieved by the Minister for Health's lack of action in dealing with this issue. It is unacceptable. If these were children, we would have had an answer long ago. I think people will accuse the Minister at this stage of being ageist in his approach to all of these deaths-----
Comment on this
-----and his lack of accountability to the Oireachtas in dealing with them.
Comment on this
I thank the Deputy. As he will be aware, I have met the families. There has been extensive engagement and extensive work has been done. The issue we have in Ireland, as the Deputy will be very well aware, is that any review that seeks to make findings against people becomes very legalistic very quickly and, ultimately, does not give the families the answers they want. I have stated here several times and I will state again that these families deserve answers. They are asking very reasonable questions and they deserve answers to those questions. I am engaging with the Department. The Department is seeking a way of doing that in a way that gets the families the answers they deserve but does not end up getting bogged down in years and years of legal debate, injunctions and so forth, which, unfortunately, can happen if this is done incorrectly.