The HSE only responded to a major coronavirus outbreak at a Galway nursing home after it was “shamed into it,” according to the family of one of the residents.
It emerged yesterday that 26 of the 28 residents at the Nightingale Nursing Home have tested positive for the virus alongside the majority of staff.
One resident has died and two have been admitted to hospital.
On The Hard Shoulder yesterday, Patricia McGowan, Director of Nursing at Nightingale, said the HSE had left the home to fend for itself.
Ms McGowan broke down as she told Kieran Cuddihy that residents told staff they believed they were going to die.
“I have no words for it,” she said. “I just can't understand that a country can treat its older people this way.”
On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, Páraic Mac Donnchadha, whose mother is one of those to contract the virus at the home said the HSE only responded after Me McGowan spoke out.
“The HSE only responded when they were shamed into it,” he said.
“It took a nursing director in tears in front of the nation on a radio show for them to actually do something about it.”
Mr Mac Donnchadha said the home would normally be staffed by seven people at a time; however, there was been only one nurse and one carer on duty for two days running this week.
He said two HSE staff members who were supposed to arrive yesterday morning never showed up and said he understood that one extra staff member was provide last night.
Nightingale Nursing Home
He said his family was angry to see HSE officials “claiming to have looked after” the home in television interviews after Ms McGowan spoke out.
“Our mother is only one patient out of 20-odd and the Nightingale Nursing Home is only one of hundreds around the country,” he said.
“So, we are not trying to make a special case for our mother or for the Nightingale Home but to the extent that it is representative of the culture of the HSE where they think it is OK to come on the TV afterwards and say, we are doing this and we are providing education and we are providing resources, when the reality is very different, I think that is what everybody is annoyed at.”
Coronavirus
Mr Mac Donnchadha said his mother appears to be doing well at the moment with no symptoms apart from feeling more tired than usual.
“We have been assured by the hard-working team there who we know very well that if there is any change in her condition, they will let us know,” he said
“But of course, that could change overnight. We are not calling in there because, given the tight resources, we don’t want to distract them from doing what they have to do.
“We trust them. They have been exemplary carers of our mother for the last nine years so we have no reason to be concerned with the nursing home.”
"We have people to try and keep alive"
On The Hard Shoulder last night, Ms McGowan said she does not know how the nurse on duty is “still standing.”
She said the HSE officials told the home, ‘don’t panic, leave it with me’ when it called to say the staff it has been promised did not show up.
“We don't have that luxury,” she said. “We can't leave it with them. We have people to look after; we have people to try and keep alive. That's the bottom line.
“We're not messing here; we are looking after vulnerable people who have COVID-19, we want them to stay alive and we need help to do that.”
You can listen back to Páraic Mac Donnchadha here
You can listen back to Patricia McGowan here:
