Sinn Féin TD says Home Help personnel must have necessary PPE
Cavan Monaghan TD, Matt Carthy has called for necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) to be provided for all home help staff as a matter of urgency.
The Sinn Féin representative said said:
“Since the onset of the Coronavirus I have been calling on the Minister for Health to ensure that Home Help staff are allocated the necessary Personal Protective Equipment. Bizarrely, for a lengthy period, the Minister and the HSE denied that these workers need PPE at all. Thankfully, there has now been a recognition that this was the wrong position.
“Many older people living at home do not have family around who can care for them during this crisis and they have been relying on home help workers to help them where possible.
“For their part, home help workers have been doing their best to care for their patients in recent
weeks.
“However, many elderly people who are normally visited by home help personnel are rightly anxious that they have the necessary PPE. They need these services. That is why it is absolutely vital that PPE is provided to home help workers to put people’s minds at ease.
“Home help workers cannot do their job safely in the current environment if they do not have the necessary PPE.
“The safety of our older people and our home help workers should be paramount for the HSE and for the government.
“PPE is as important to home help workers and as it is to those working in our nursing homes or hospitals.
“Home help workers must have the adequate equipment to protect themselves and to protect their clients as they work. I acknowledge that the situation has improved in recent weeks but much more is required to ensure that there are no outstanding gaps in this area.”
ENDS
