'I'm pure delighted': Tipp nursing home provides antigen tests so families can visit loved ones

Couple share a meal together for the first time in months thanks to relaxed care home visit rules and antigen testing

Michael Ryan presents a beautiful spray of flowers to his wife Mary during his visit to her in Patterson's Nursing Home in Roscrea, Co Tipperary. Picture: Brian Arthur

A nursing home in Tipperary is paying for antigen testing for staff and visitors so they can safely reopen for families.

Nursing homes were allowed from yesterday to allow visitors inside the homes twice weekly. However, Patterson's Nursing Home in Roscrea went one step further and is open since Mother’s Day to visitors who agree to an antigen test first.

This followed a year of no Covid-19 cases in the home thanks to a strict infection-control policy, said manager Sandra Farrell. She described this as “tough” and “a miracle”.

She introduced the testing to help their 25 residents, and has informed the HSE.

Michael and Mary Ryan, who have been married for 43 years, had a bite to eat together yesterday for their first time in some months, now that Michael is once again able to visit her in Patterson's Nursing Home in Roscrea. Picture. Brian Arthur

The tests cost €15, and take minutes to administer. Visitors book the day before and on the day a nurse will administer the test just before they go in. Each visitor must still wear masks, have their temperature checked, and fill in a Covid-19 symptoms form.

Ms Farrell said: “We started visits on Mother’s Day because we were ready. I felt they missed last year, the summer, Halloween, Christmas.

“We are doing something right because we kept Covid out of the building for a year. Every visitor is antigen-tested, we took that cost on ourselves here. Everyone is tested before they come into the building.” 

The new guidelines list compassionate grounds for visiting. Ms Farrell said: “Every visit is on compassionate grounds now for our residents, it’s been nearly a year since they saw their loved ones.” Ms Farrell also gives her staff antigen tests, and is critical of the HSE reducing serial testing from once a week to once fortnightly.

“It’s a cost I’m willing to bear. It’s a safety measure,” she said.

The chief executive of Nursing Homes Ireland Tadhg Daly has previously called for the provision of antigen testing in all nursing homes.

'We had a great day here, I’m pure delighted,' said Michael Ryan after his visit with his wife, Mary: 'I used to come and see her through the window, it was not the same at all.' Picture: Brian Arthur

Yesterday at Patterson's Nursing Home, Michael and Mary Ryan ate together for the first time in months.

Mary (77) has lived in the home for two years and, before the pandemic, Michael (84) visited her every day.

He said: “We had a great day here, I’m pure delighted. I used to come and see her through the window, it was not the same at all.” He had a short visit on St Patrick’s Day which he said was “lovely” but yesterday was the first time to sit together and really relax.

“We will be let in now twice a week, I’m delighted,” he said.

Regulation of residential care

The Oireachtas health committee will today hear from the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) on calls to reform the regulation of residential care. 

Hiqa's chief executive  Phelim Quinn is expected to call for changes in how residential care centres including nursing homes are regulated. He is expected to also discuss how disability centres and community care are regulated. He will focus on the findings of a recent Hiqa report " The Need for Regulatory Reform" 

The committee will also hear a progress report on recommendations from the Covid-19 Nursing Homes Expert Panel Report. 

Dr Katherine MacLellan, chair of the implementation team, will discuss progress made since January. 

The latest Health Protection Surveillance Centre data shows that, between November 22 and March 13, nursing home deaths came to 838.