Health minister under pressure over childcare arrangements for essential workers

Health minister Stephen Donnelly has faced criticism over the Government's proposals for childcare in the coming weeks. File picture.

The Government has been accused of failing to prepare a childcare contingency plan for frontline workers as the country goes to a level 5 lockdown.

Under the restrictions announced on Wednesday, creches and childcare facilities must close, with the exception of services for vulnerable children and children of essential workers.

However, with schools closed, creche owners have warned that many staff will be unable to work, while others will be unavailable due to Covid-19 itself, leaving facilities operating at reduced capacity. 

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) said the "mistakes of the past" – when nurses were forced to take annual leave for childcare during the first set of public health measures last March – must not be repeated. 

We cannot repeat the mistakes of previous COVID waves.

Healthcare workers need childcare for when they are fighting this virus on the frontline.

Our statement: https://t.co/gRJr9ZmBrm pic.twitter.com/MyR6VVIzbn

— Irish Nurses & Midwives Organisation (@INMO_IRL) January 6, 2021

INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said that urgent care for children of frontline staff must be found.

“We must not repeat the mistakes of past waves, and provide meaningful childcare options for healthcare workers. When schools last closed, childcare was the number one issue raised with us by members.

Covid has already decimated our hospital rosters, with over 3,000 HSE staff out due to close contacts or the virus. Health service staffing cannot be further undermined by lack of childcare."

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said the plan was that childcare for frontline workers would remain open and he said there was a proposal to allow frontline workers create a childcare bubble, which allows a household of an essential worker, without an existing childcare arrangement, form a bubble with another household for the purpose of providing childcare. 

He said childcare for frontline workers was "a difficulty" and was "dealt with in the March/April/May lockdown" but that many healthcare workers hadn't found suitable arrangements. He said the Government was "looking at what can be done".

"If we are asking people to take these necessary, tough measures then the least the people deserve is a government that has its homework done – and in education and childcare that is clearly NOT the case." – @MaryLouMcDonald on the new #Covid19Ireland restrictions and measures pic.twitter.com/TlMB6WYLqs

— Sinn Féin (@sinnfeinireland) January 6, 2021

Sinn Féin's Louise O'Reilly said childcare had been mismanaged at the beginning of the pandemic.

"The issue isn't so much as what happened last May – everyone was surprised then, but they have had all of the intervening time to prepare for this and no plan is in place. You just can't have a last-minute solution."

Meanwhile, Karen Clince, chief executive of Tigers Childcare, one of the largest childcare providers in Ireland, said the request by Children's Minister to refund or suspend fees was "out of touch" with the industry.

The Department of Health did not respond to requests for comment on Mr Donnelly's future plans for childcare for frontline workers.