HSE: Home help workers not being routinely tested for Covid-19

Labour Party leader Alan Kelly slammed the situation as "disgraceful". Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

Home help workers are not being routinely tested for Covid-19, a situation the Labour leader has called "disgraceful".

Alan Kelly had asked health minister Stephen Donnelly if the staff were being routinely tested as they go into other people's homes and may have to work in close proximity.

In the HSE response, it says that while home help workers "play an important role in providing personal care to people in their own homes and support to carers", there is not yet a formal system in place. 

It goes on to say that work is ongoing to develop an operating model for testing and tracing among care staff.

"The HSE continues to work closely with providers and community staff to identify where service is most required. This is to ensure, insofar as possible, that Home Support Services can continue where needed most. The requirements of physical distancing must be encouraged, supported and maintained so as to keep our staff and service users safe and prevent any further spread of the virus.

"Work is currently underway within the HSE on the development of a service model for Covid testing and contact tracing, led by Niamh O’Beirne, EMT & Lead for the testing and tracing programme. The purpose of this work is to develop a sustainable operating model going forward. Service for Older Persons considerations will be a key element of the design of the pathway to include referral, swabbing, laboratory testing, result communication and surveillance/outbreak management."

After receiving confirmation from the HSE that home help staff are not being regularly tested for Covid-19 @alankellylabour says an explanation is needed as to why it has taken nearly 8 months to put in place a programme of testing and tracing for them ⬇️https://t.co/4WqiRNdnUr

— The Labour Party Ireland (@labour) October 28, 2020

The response adds that any recommendations from this model will be implemented. However, Mr Kelly said that the situation was "an absolute disgrace".

“Home help staff are healthcare workers working with some of the most vulnerable people in the community throughout this entire crisis and the fact that they are not being regularly tested for Covid is completely unacceptable. They are regularly in contact with the very people we are trying to shield from this disease," he said.

“The minister needs to address why a testing and contact programme for home help workers is only now in development nearly eight months into this pandemic. 

This should have been put in place months ago. These workers are potentially putting themselves and their service users in danger by not being regularly tested for Covid.

“Home help staff should be regularly tested for Covid in the same manner as other healthcare workers. Nearly one in five of all Covid cases in Ireland has been in healthcare workers. 

"This is yet again another example of Minister Donnelly not being across his brief. We need an explanation from him as to why it has taken nearly eight months to put in place a programme to test home help staff."