'Historic' agreement allows health staff to be redeployed to private nursing homes

- Additional reporting by Vivienne Clarke

An agreement has been reached between unions and the HSE on the voluntary redeployment of health workers to private nursing homes to assist in their efforts to tackle Covid-19.

The deal allows nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and other healthcare staff who work in the public sector to work in private nursing homes to ensure patients are cared for.

Tony Fitzpatrick, director of industrial relations with the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation told RTÉ radio’s Today with Sean O'Rourke programme that there have been situations in private nursing homes where there are no staff to work particular shifts due to illness or availability.

The “historical” agreement allows for redeployment across HSE and Section 38 hospitals and facilities as well as for a massive redeployment in community assessment hubs, he explained.

Mr Fitzpatrick said it showed that it “falls back on the public sector to bail out other sectors” and that massive public funding of public healthcare would be needed “down the road.”

SIPTU health division organiser, Paul Bell, said: “Our members want to help deal with the increasing clusters of the virus among the most vulnerable service users in the nursing home sector in their catchment area. However, until now, there was no policy or protocol for members asked to provide assistance to private nursing homes which are not under the governance of the HSE.

Under this agreement, the redeployment of SIPTU members is strictly on a voluntary basis and a volunteers register will be set up in each CHO area. Volunteers will come from across the nursing, healthcare assistant, cleaning, chef and catering assistant disciplines.

"Our members will remain completely under the management of the HSE and will be assigned for agreed periods of time. They will also be provided with an adequate supply of PPE for their tasks.”

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