Tipperary nursing homes in crisis with Covid outbreaks and staffing issues

Photo © Tipp FM

There are worrying trends developing across nursing homes, including those in Tipp, with many experiencing Covid outbreaks.

Director of Patterson Nursing Home in Roscrea, Sandra Farrell told Tipp Today that outbreaks are now frequent across nursing homes.

She said that they have been using antigen tests for some time as a precursor to PCR tests, but this needs to be more widespread.

Sandra told Tipp Today how severe the situation has gotten.

“I’m involved in a national WhatsApp group of directors of nursing and providers of nursing homes, which are the owners, and over the last week to ten days, every day, there’s a nursing home putting up that we’ve an outbreak – they’ve never had an outbreak perhaps, or it might be their second outbreak.

“It certainly mirrors what’s going on with the numbers nationally.

“And even locally, and I mean locally here to Roscrea, I’ve heard of four nursing homes within the Laois, Offaly and North Tipperary area, over the last week also having outbreaks.”

Sandra added that there is a serious crisis in the nursing home sector, with directors closing homes, and nurses and carers leaving the profession because of stress.

She stressed that hand washing, mask wearing and education must remain central to preventing to spread of Covid 19.