Covid-19: Nearly 150 care homes currently require HSE support

Nearly 150 residential care facilities currently require support from the Health Service Executive (HSE) to fight Covid-19, figures show.

Some 113 nursing homes are receiving supports as of Wednesday, November 11th, according to internal HSE analysis tracking assistance provided to the sector.

There are 31 residential centres for people with disabilities receiving supports, as well as three mental health residential facilities.

Of the 149 long term residential care facilities receiving supports, 118 are categorised as “green” under the HSE’s traffic light system for tracking Covid-19 in care homes. This means the centres are considered stable following intervention.

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Twenty-seven facilities are in the “amber” category, receiving enhanced levels of support. There are currently four facilities in the health service’s high-risk “red” category, battling significant outbreaks.

The figures do not include facilities which the HSE class as stable, or “white” in its traffic light system, and these would still receive routine deliveries of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

There are currently 101 coronavirus outbreaks across 2,000 residential care facilities, 53 of which are in nursing homes.

Anne O’Connor, HSE chief operations officer, on Thursday described the number of outbreaks in nursing homes “as a stable number” over the last week.

The number of care homes requiring State supports has also remained stable, up slightly from 146 facilities last week. Supports include public health advice, additional staff, and extra PPE.

From the 149 facilities receiving HSE supports, 32 of the care homes are located in Dublin. Twenty-six facilities are in Limerick, followed by 15 in Westmeath, 13 in Clare, and 12 in both Kildare and Tipperary. Six of the long term residential centres are located in Laois, with five in both Cork and Wicklow.

According to the internal report tracking supports, 20 further HSE facilities required additional staff this week, as well as nine private or voluntary facilities.

Nursing home residents account for around half of the coronavirus-related deaths in the State, due to large numbers of fatalities in care homes during the first wave of the pandemic.

Many facilities faced significant outbreaks in April and May, with long delays awaiting testing results, major staff shortages, and lack of PPE contributing to the virus spreading within centres.