NURSING HOMES
BRINGING SAFETY TO HOMES Nursing Homes Ireland CEO Tadhg Daly talks to Adam Hyland about optimism and overcoming the challenges of a very difficult year.
A
year into the pandemic, we are still faced with some uncertainties, and we can’t say just when we will be able to return to a normal way of life. One thing we are certain of is that COVID-19 has hit senior members of society hardest. It is therefore imperative that we are able to keep this most vulnerable group safe, and this difficult challenge is one that Nursing Homes Ireland (NHI) has worked tirelessly to overcome. As the national representative body for the private and voluntary nursing home sector, they oversee the operation of the more than 460 nursing homes in Ireland that provide sustainable, high-quality care to more than 25,000 residents by actively supporting and representing their
members. As Government and Health guidelines and best practices have seen constant change over the past year, and as this unprecedented health crisis rose, fell and rose again, it has been difficult for all care sectors to keep pace. The core values of Nursing Homes Ireland, however, have meant that they have been able to successfully empower their members with up-to-date information and guidance, influence policy decisions through advocacy, and provide leadership to the sector. Other core values that have come to the fore over the last year are the promotion of a positive image of the sector and the important role it plays, and partnership with all relevant stakeholders to support the delivery of care.
CHALLENGES
Nursing Homes Ireland, CEO Tadhg Daly.
“It has been a difficult year for all of us,” NHI CEO Tadhg Daly tells me as we speak about just how the organisation managed to get to the point where nursing homes are now one of the safest places to be in the country as the third wave threatens society once more. “At the outset, when COVID-19 first arrived, there was maybe a blind spot when it came to nursing homes, and our concern was that while there was a lot of preparation going on, it seemed to focus almost exclusively on the acute hospital system, so we had to work hard to ensure our sector was considered. “We were carefully monitoring what had been going on overseas
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