Staff absences are putting care homes under pressure, says Northern Ireland’s top social worker

This comes amid widespread concern around the availability of equipment to keep workers and patients safe from the coronavirus, such as face masks, for those in care homes and in the community care sector.

The issue was raised at the Stormont health committee yesterday, where Northern Ireland’s chief social worker Sean Holland was grilled by MLAs about the efforts to keep staff and patients safe from the virus.

He was asked by West Belfast MLA Órlaithí Flynn to give an assessment of the number of staff prevented from going to work due to a shortage of PPE (personal protective equipment).

Mr Holland replied: “I don’t have a precise assessment of that. Currently, certainly the sector is under pressure because of staff not turning up to work.”

He continued: “But so far the reports we have from providers are that that pressure is manageable.

“They are also recruiting additional staff into the sector.”

He added: “We are strengthening on a daily basis. If a care home were to find itself seriously challenged because of staff being unable to come to work, we will have the ability to support that home.”

Mr Holland said it would be possible, for example, to move staff employed by one of Northern Ireland’s health Trusts into a private sector home to ensure patient safety.

Workers across Northern Ireland have expressed concern about the lack of equipment.

One domiciliary care worker, who is employed by the Western Trust, told the News Letter earlier this week that she “can’t sleep” because she is so worried.

“I am completely sick with worry,” she said.

And a district nurse in Belfast outlined similar concerns to the BBC yesterday morning.

“It’s very stressful for families and staff with the challenges of equipment and having to ask management for the appropriate PPE to go into these patients,” she said.

Mr Holland admitted at the Stormont committee that the situation is “particularly frightening”.

But he said he is “confident that we have the personal protective equipment to meet the demand set by the guidelines.”

Health Minister Robin Swann, speaking on BBC Radio Ulster on Wednesday, said five container loads of personal protective equipment had been due to arrive in Northern Ireland from the UK’s central supply.