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VISITORS TO NURSING homes and other long-term care facilities are likely to be asked to show proof of vaccination or immunity from Monday, under new guidance from the HSE.
Regular visitors will “only need to be checked once” and there are some exemptions on compassionate grounds.
The HSE’s Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) says the guidance is about “normalising” visiting arrangements during the pandemic and says that visiting is “an essential part” of the right of residents to “maintain meaningful relationships with people”.
Visiting people in care homes has been suspended for significant periods during the pandemic, with the HPSC saying that the vaccination rollout in nursing homes has “greatly reduced the risk” in these settings.
The guidance says that nursing home operators are responsible for ensuring that residents have meaningful contact with loved ones and that any restrictions in place should be the “minimum necessary” to manage the risk of disease.
As part of the guidance, visitors are reminded that they should stay away if they are displaying respiratory symptoms or they have a fever.
Visitors should expect a check of symptoms and to be asked to show that they fulfil the requirement to have immunity through vaccination or prior infection.
Care Champions, a support group of families in nursing homes, has said there must be “consequences” for care facilities that do not provide opportunities for residents to see loved ones in a safe manner.
The group points to the importance of ventilation and says that if visitor restrictions are in place “open window visits” could be facilitated.
“It has been exceptionally distressing, despite national visiting guidance, to see some nursing homes once again unnecessarily ban outdoor and window visits in recent weeks. There is absolutely no justification for such draconian measures, eighteen months into the pandemic,” Care Champions said in a statement.
The group is calling for the government to clarify what if any consequences exist for public and private nursing homes who fail to adhere to HSPC guidance.
It also wants to know if there are any checks in place to monitor that safe visiting spaces are available in care homes.
“At this stage in the pandemic, simple measures such as the enforcement of national guidance, the monitoring and provision of quality visiting spaces and the introduction of the Care Partner scheme are reasonable asks which are achievable to deliver for our nursing home residents,” the group says.
Both Supervalu and Tesco have attempted to block a new development in enfield which contains a hotel, nursing home, much needed homes, resuarant/bar and of course a new retail unit. Plenty of business to go round in fairness and it would be a much needed investment in the town. Fingers crossed An Bord Pleanála see sense and approve it.
Every Lidl helps
@Fred: in a survey of plastic and packaging use, lidl and aldi were the worst they used more plastic packaging than any other supermarkets. Tesco were actually one of the best in that it was possible to buy a lot more produce loose without plastic packaging. Also Tesco would facilitate consumers returning plastic packaging to the store, lidl and aldi refused.
@john bennett: bs
@john bennett: so
@john bennett: rubbish. I leave my plastic behind when doing my shopping. No one has ever told me I cant
@john bennett: and what’s that got to do with Tesco abusing the planning system, which I’m assuming is also costing the taxpayer?
@john bennett: this is about losing profits the cartels like tesco,supervalue,dunnes not about plastics.when lidl and aldi came to Ireland it showed how much we were actually being ripped off for.
@john bennett: BS, I always see people removing packaging in aldi before putting the shopping in their bags. They have plenty of bins provided too. And half the price of Tesco to boot.
A sad sad reflection on Tesco and a completely disingenuous response from them. It’s obvious to everyone what they’re playing at!
@Kerrydone: Indeed. The figures support the claims made by Lidl and Aldi, Tesco in particular are misusing and abusing the planning system to twart any attempt by what the see as rivals getting planning permission.
At the same time Lidl and Aldi are doing things by the book we’ve seen a number of other well known coffee shops and retailers totally avoiding the planning system, and getting away with it.
As an aside a few family members volunteer in a local organisation, a few years ago they approached local businesses asking for whatever donations they could give. Tesco couldn’t be bothered, all applications had to be made in writing to their head office, Lidl and Aldi literally brought people to tears as they donated pallet loads and delivered it too. Can’t praise them and their staff highly enough.
Boycott Tesco
I like lidl and aldi: Tools and Rents with a guarantee etc Some stuff is the same brand as dunnes but cheaper, some just as good but cheaper. But here in Germany you can go even more ‘down market’ to Netto or Penny, smaller stores than Lidl and aldi but often the same stuff again and still cheaper.
Obviously cost of delivery etc to be considered but even aldi and Lidl are riding us, let alone dunnes and supervalue.
@Chris Linehan: what about non union badly paid staff
@Chris Linehan: just because the staff are non union does not mean they are badly paid. Aldi and Lidl staff are higher paid than the equivalent staff in the traditional retailers.
@trebloc01: what are you on about? Well paid staff
@trebloc01: for real? Dunnes has the worse track record for treatment of staff…
@Chris Linehan: when Lidl arrived first Irish people didn’t like their approach. Very from compared to the usual. They invested in fancy in house baking, gourmet foods and even put products on shelves. In Germany Lidl pallets are left on the floor and you like it or lump it.
Irish people think they like a bargain but they’re simply not as thrifty as ze Germans
@Goban Saor: *very grim compared to usual
@trebloc01:
As far as I’m aware Lidl and Aldi pay the living wage, unlike the other retailers.
@Goban Saor: I did a bit of work in Tesco a few years ago & most of the staff i spoke to were on zero hours contracts & Tesco pay thier staff less than most other retailers
@Patrick Nolan: my mate works for M&S & he gets paid a living wage has really good benefits. He couldn’t be happier
@LIAMO B:
Good for him/ them but with respect, the M&S share of the Irish grocery market is very small
Whatever about Tesco , Musgraves/SuperValu would want to be careful in case Lidl start returning the favour…They could bury small family run franchises if they decided to….
Dirty tricks from the supermarket cartel, who’ve been gouging Irish shoppers for decades.
Not surprised that stupid valu are against a company giving a little more value to people as they are the most expensive supermarket in the Country. Shame on them and the old codgers that shop with them just because they are alligned with the old fella that sold out to the company and rely on the loyalty to the former name that was above that same shop thirty or forty years ago.
The Brits are at war with the Germans again.
@Pascal Coleman:
Objecting ……. shure they’re more Irish than the Irish themselves so!
Just sue them for obstruction and loss of income
@Moorooka Mick:
Difficult if you do not have an established trade pattern to benchmark alleged loss.
Dunnes Stores is hoarding a prime city centre location in Limerick for years, allowing it to fall into dereliction.
It needs to be CPOed from Dunnes for a reasonablle price – in this instance 1 euro.
@mursim:
The state certainly could CPO it but they would have to pay full market price. (Constitution)
Tesco need to be investigated they did this for the lidl in Cabra they tried every dirty tactic even though they have a store on Prussia Street and another superstore 5 mins up on the navan road. They’re a law unto themselves anti competition because they’ve had the Irish consumer over a barrel for decades.
Dunnes Stores is hoarding a prime city centre location in Limerick for years, allowing it to fall into dereliction.
It needs to be CPOed from Dunnes for a reasonablle price – in this instance 1 euro.
Different to Aldi being blocked by the major supermarkets in Monaghan
Stupid carry on by competitors they need to get over it. Stop fleecing people while they are at it
Lidl and Aldi worst supermarket for the environment. Almost no recycling plastic used.
@Bob Dalchan: they are also the first to commit to eliminating single use plastics within a couple of years
@Bob Dalchan: What has that to do with misuse of planning laws ?
@James Wallace: Have they? Brilliant. Good to hear.
Future planning in the future…
He he all the big names have been doing this for years to block competition from Aldi and Lidl. Its no secret for Gods Sake. RGData are representing their members but need to be careful as a lot of the Supervalues are in small towns so what goes around comes around.
It might help if Lidl read the Local Area Plans before putting in the application.
They proposed a store in Douglas on a site that was marked for mixed use on a street that was marked for traffic reduction and public transport priority.
They’ve now come back with a plan that is at least mixed use, but will still funnel hundreds of extra cars through the centre of an already congested area.
They did this in our place also – it stood out in the objections as there isn’t a Tesco for miles around – don’t know why they would be so interested if it fitted the local environment or not.
Vexatious complaints seem to be the norm now. Our family has been subjected to this from a couple of people not in any way affected, but did it because they could.
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