Fórsa backs nursing home mobilisation
by Bernard Harbor
 
Éamonn Donnelly said health workers had shown courage and a willingness to adapt, even in situations where they are exposed to risk.
Éamonn Donnelly said health workers had shown courage and a willingness to adapt, even in situations where they are exposed to risk.

Fórsa has pledged to cooperate fully with HSE plans to deploy public health workers in private nursing homes on a voluntary basis, after gaining important staff protections in an agreement reached with unions earlier this week.

 

The move comes as nursing homes struggle to manage. More than 200 coronavirus clusters – situations where three or more people contract the virus – have occurred in nursing homes and other residential facilities, where over 240 people have died after contracting Covid-19.

 

The agreement between the HSE and health service unions is a departure from emergency procedures adopted by public service employers during the crisis.

 

Until now, they have implemented emergency measures without seeking agreement. But constant liaison with Fórsa and other unions has led to important modifications of all the major initiatives now in place, including those on occupational health, self-isolation, and overtime and premium pay.

 

When the HSE said it wanted a formal agreement to cover voluntary reassignments to the private residential care sector, Fórsa insisted on specific protections.

 

In particular, the union insisted that staff could only be deployed to tasks for which they are trained and qualified, and which are “within the scope of practise”. This means, for example, that health and social care professionals can’t be deployed as health care assistants.

 

The protections also cover the provision of personal protection equipment (PPE). Last week Fórsa insisted that staff have access to PPE and training in its use and disposal – and issued new advice to staff working in environments with a higher risk of contact with the virus.

 

Other protections in the agreement cover pay protections, conditions of employment, and the mechanism for deploying public servants to private nursing homes.

 

Fórsa’s head of health Éamonn Donnelly introduced a note of caution over the agreement.

 

“These are far from normal times and our regular ways of doing business have in reality, been set aside. The Government has to move to protect vulnerable communities in nursing homes, and this simply can’t be done without the necessary staffing. If this agreement produces insufficient numbers of volunteers, the unions will be back at the table very quickly,” he said.

 

Éamonn said health workers had shown courage and a willingness to adapt, even in situations where they are exposed to risk. “I’m incredibly proud of our health workers, who understand that preventing the spread of disease and treating the sick and vulnerable come first. Their response in this crisis has been inspirational,” he said.

 

Read the full agreement HERE. 

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