Revised HSE advice to health and welfare staff, which was published earlier this week, goes into more detail on the management of close and casual contact with the coronavirus in health service settings.

It says staff should not be rostered to work with coronavirus patients if they don’t have appropriately-fitting personal protective equipment (PPE). And it says they should be trained in the proper use of PPE.

Separately, Fórsa understands that chronic shortages of PPE have been overcome with supplies continuing to improve. But issues remain in some areas.

The union’s advice to health workers is that they should only perform functions where HSE guidance calls for the use of PPE if the equipment is in place.

The latest version of the guidance from HSE occupational health again rewords the advice to pregnant staff and those with a medical vulnerability. This more specific and detailed guidance has also been issued. 

Fórsa has told the HSE that the union’s advice to those with concerns is unchanged.

Fórsa says if pregnant staff and those with a medical vulnerability have concerns about going into work, they should contact their GP and follow their advice. The HSE has agreed that these workers should be facilitated if they want to transfer to roles that don’t involve coronavirus patients.

The HSE occupational health guidance identifies some basic steps required to prevent the transmission of the virus in healthcare settings.

These include instruction and training about the virus, modes of transmission and the measures staff should take to protect themselves.

It also says employers should provide a safe work environment including through the provision of appropriate PPE. It identifies the need for training and staff competency in coronavirus-related infection control practices and procedures, including the proper use and disposal of PPE.      

It says managers are responsible for:

• Providing adequate resources for the prevention and management of coronavirus
• Advising staff about the terms and conditions of sick leave and special leave with pay
• Identifying staff in contact with confirmed cases of Covid-19 and referring any possible close contacts to Occupational Health for contact tracing
• Maintaining and providing access to contact packs within the clinical and hospital settings, and
• Providing information to pregnant staff and workers with pre-existing illnesses about the risks from Covid-19 in line with the HSE occupational health guidance.

It says staff must:

• Follow the guidance provided by Occupational Health, Public Health and their manager.
• Immediately act to self-isolate if they have been identified as a contact and become unwell at work, and inform their manager and Occupational Health so that appropriate testing can be arranged.

The guidance also covers a range of other issues including the management of exposure in the workplace, the management of contacts and close contacts, self-quarantine, the role of Occupational Health, and health workers returning from abroad.

The HSE has also published this professional guidance for healthcare professionals.

Fórsa has called on the Government to bring so-called ‘section 39’ agencies, which provide vital health and social services, into the HSE for the duration of the coronavirus crisis.

The section 39 agencies are independent of the HSE, but depend on public money to provide disability, homelessness, addiction and other services.

Fórsa says they should be treated in the same way as private hospitals, which have effectively been brought into the public health system for the time being.

The union’s head of health, Éamonn Donnelly, said the agencies needed maximum stability in a time of crisis.

“Rather than risk closures and the lay-off of health and social care professionals who are providing vital services, the HSE should underpin the sector by bringing the section 39 agencies it funds under its roof for the next three months.

“Thousands of vulnerable people depend on their services, and the liability would fall on an already overstretched HSE if any of them close or fail,” he said.

Fórsa has sought an urgent remote meeting with HSE officials to push for childcare arrangements for essential health and welfare staff. The union has raised the issue on a daily basis with the HSE, the health department and Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) since schools and crèches closed on 12^th March.

Since then, many workers across the economy have become better able to manage childcare because they are working remotely – or have suffered lay-offs.

But the lack of a facility remains a problem for single parents and families where both adults are essential workers in the health sector or elsewhere.

The union has been told that two departments – children and youth affairs and the Department of the Taoiseach – are working on proposals. But Fórsa official Catherine Keogh says it’s unacceptable that the problem hasn’t been resolved three weeks into the crisis.

“At this stage the Government has implemented, and legislated for, countless radical measures to deal with the coronavirus crisis. And they have had incredible levels of support and cooperation from health staff and other workers, who understand that we are in an emergency.

“But childcare for essential staff was the first thing we looked for, and it’s the last thing to be done. In the context of everything that’s happened, it surely can’t be so difficult to get this facility in place for workers who, in tens of thousands of cases, are putting themselves at risk for the greater good,” she said.

Fórsa has supported calls by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) for the Government to implement stronger measures to avoid an economic depression as a result of the Covid-19 crisis.

Central Statistic Office (CSO) figures released today (Thursday) show that over 300,000 workers have been directly affected by the virus over the past month. It took three years to reach this number during the banking crisis a decade ago.

ICTU general secretary Patricia King said the Government should “ramp up” and revise its temporary Covid-19 wage subsidy scheme to maximise the number of people who can return to work after the crisis.

Ms King called on the Government to adopt the European Unemployment Reinsurance Scheme, which helps countries cope with the rise in unemployment.

Under this scheme, the EU would provide loans and guidance on implementing short-time working schemes. It’s been done in Germany, where over 500,000 people are now in schemes.

The union-backed Nevin Economic Research Institute also said the European Central Bank should act as a lender of last resort to support governments who are supporting businesses and workers.

The Irish Government has already responded to union calls for income supports. But Fórsa says more is action is needed to prevent a long-lasting depression.

Over 350,000 people could lose their jobs if current coronavirus-related restrictions and closures stay in place for 12 weeks, according to the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).

This would push the unemployment rate to 18% in the second half of this year, up from less than 5% in the first three months of 2020.

The report was published as social protection staff processed over half a million individual transactions last week. This included 283,000 pandemic unemployment payments and over 200,000 standard jobseeker payments.

Describing the pandemic as the “greatest threat that the Irish economy has faced since the financial crisis,” the ESRI also warned that State finances will be hard hit.

It envisages a significant fall in revenue as economic activity stalls, coupled with extra health spending to deal with Covid-19 and the soaring costs of supports to laid-off workers and struggling businesses.

The economic think tank suggests that the economy could shrink by over 7% this year on foot of reduced household spending, cancelled and postponed business investment, and falling overseas demand for Irish-produced goods.

It says the labour market had been strong prior to the pandemic. But was now facing “the largest one quarter shock in living memory.”

Fórsa is here to protect you if you have problems arising from the coronavirus or other workplace issues. The best way to contact the union at this time is HERE.

We will deal with queries as quickly as we can but, needless to say, the union will prioritise cases where members’ jobs and incomes are at immediate risk – as well as any serious health and safety issues that may arise.

Fórsa has cancelled all face-to-face meetings for the time being. The union is redeploying its staff to prioritise engagement with management on proposals arising from the Covid-19 public health crisis, and to provide rapid and efficient responses to members’ queries and concerns.

Fórsa's main phone line (01 817 1500) is now open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. Alternatively members can use the Contact Us page on the Fórsa website to submit queries directly to the relevant division within Fórsa and this remains the most efficient way to access advice directly.

Wherever possible, Fórsa staff have been equipped to work remotely. Therefore, members should not attend Fórsa offices at this time. If you have a query or concern, the best way to raise it is to contact the union HERE.

Fórsa has amended its advice to members to say they should stay away from workplaces on public health grounds unless their employer has told them they need to attend work. Until now, the union has advised staff to go in unless told otherwise. The union says much of the dust has settled since the An Taoiseach’s ‘stay at home’ announcement last Friday (27th March), and that most employers have now given clear direction to staff.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has called on justice minister Charlie Flanagan to put urgent measures in place to protect people living in direct provision centres during the Covid-19 crisis.

ICTU wants direct provision-based asylum seekers aged over 60 years old – and those with pre-existing medical conditions – to be allowed to move to accommodation where they can effectively self-isolate and cocoon. It says this will help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

ICTU’s international officer David Joyce said: “There is no conflict between measures to protect public health and human rights. It’s simply not in the public health interest to have direct provision centres that potentially spread the virus quickly.”

Congress says conditions in direct provision centres often make it impossible for people to self-isolate. Yet the State’s recommended strategy is to self-isolate and self-quarantine, while minimising human contact and social gatherings.

ICTU has also criticised the decision to exclude asylum seekers who lost work because of the crisis from the Covid-19 pandemic unemployment payment.

Almost 5,700 refugees and asylum seekers, including over 1,700 children, are currently living in 39 direct provision centres. Another 1,585 people, including 285 children, are staying in emergency accommodation.

The Movement for Asylum Seekers in Ireland (MASI) says people in direct provision often live in very close quarters, sharing living spaces and other facilities with multiple families.

“The HSE posters on social distancing are useless to an asylum seeker sharing a tiny bedroom with a stranger, having to use communal bathrooms, and congregating in a canteen for meals three times a day,” it says.

Fórsa is keen to ensure that all our members contact details are up to date.

By maintaining your current contact details we can ensure that up-to-the-minute, important information can be delivered directly to each and every member of the union.

This is especially important during the current national Covid-19 crisis. In the past few days we’ve been able to issue a series of special bulletins to members, keeping them in touch with the latest advice and guidelines from the HSE and employers.

However, if any member isn’t receiving this information, it means we don’t have a current email address for them on our system. This could be because they’ve moved departments or changed grades or employment etc.

If this sounds like the experience of one of your colleagues, please share this information with them and let them know we’re encouraging members to update their contact details with us in order to improve our communications service to members.

The union is also experiencing a high volume of members getting in touch with the communications unit directly to change their contact details as a result of new eircom policy taking effect later this month. Those members wishing to change the email address Fórsa contacts them on should also follow the directions outlined below.

It's also worth noting your home email address helps to ensure direct, safe and more effective communications with you than a workplace email address.

To update contact details, visit our website HERE and follow the directions to quickly update them.