Two more deaths in nursing home at centre of Kerry Covid-19 cluster

Oaklands resident Sean Kennedy who passed away on Friday, November 13, of Covid at the Oaklands Nursing Home in Derry, Listowel. Co Kerry.

Two more residents of a nursing home at the centre of a deadly Covid-19 cluster have died after testing positive for the virus.

Up until last Friday, six had succumbed to it, according to a statement from HSE chief operations officer Anne O’Connor.

But it has since emerged the death toll at the Oaklands Nursing Home in Derry, Listowel, Co Kerry rose over the weekend.

Sources close to the home confirmed the latest deaths and they said both died on Sunday.

Relatives of those who died at the start of the outbreak are furious action was not taken sooner by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) against the home, which was run by Listowel-based Bolden (Nursing) Ltd.

“Action was taken too little and too late,” Gerry Kennedy, whose 77-year-old brother Sean died of Covid-19 on Friday, November 13 at the home, told the Irish Examiner.

“I cannot understand why action was not taken sooner and there needs to be an investigation into the role HIQA played here.

“If the Food Safety Authority found a restaurant was not compliant with various food regulations, it would go in and close it down immediately.”

The Oaklands Nursing Home at Listowel, Co Kerry. Picture: Dan Linehan

Other relatives have spoken privately to the Irish Examiner about their anger at the slow response by the home to the first cases of Covid-19.

At least one family is said to have sought legal advice with a view to possibly taking some form of legal action.

With so much attention from the start of the pandemic around nursing home deaths, relatives are stunned there could be such a deadly outbreak at the home.

What did we learn over the year? “ asked Mr Kennedy.

“We don’t appear to have learned anything.

Representatives of the nursing home's operator were repeatedly asked for a comment but they were unavailable.

There is a concern the current legislation around nursing homes and enforcement is inadequate because it takes so long to carry out enforcement action.

Kerry TD Pa Daly said: “This tragic case again raises a question over whether or not the regulations are fit for purpose.

“They are too slow and what happened should not have happened.

“Oaklands Nursing Home will need to be part of any investigation into what has happened in our nursing homes.”

Despite a long history of non-compliance, the home’s registration was only cancelled last week.

When staff there were warned in advance by HIQA that its inspectors would call earlier this year to the home on February 25 and May 7, it was found to be compliant with infection control regulations.

But when inspectors turned up unannounced on June 18, a very different picture emerged.

As well as being in breach of infection control regulations, they discovered there was nobody actually in charge of the home.

And this had been the case since their last inspection in May.

A process was then initiated, which included repeated inspections and warnings to the home.

Health watchdog HIQA finally obtained an order at Kerry District Court cancelling Bolden (Nursing) Ltd’s registration as a designated centre last week.

This was done, the watchdog said, “in the interests of the health, safety and quality of life of the residents”.

The HSE, which is now running the home, was keen to stress last week that “any issue related to the registration of a centre is a matter between the individual provider and HIQA”.

HIQA last night declined to comment on remarks made by relatives of residents of Oaklands Nursing home in Derry, Listowel.