Further calls for public inquiry into deaths at Dealgan House Nursing Home in Dundalk

Calls for a public inquiry into the deaths in nursing homes during the Covid 19 pandemic were made at an event on Saturday organised by advocacy group Care Champions which was attended by Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú.

The event, held at DCU, heard from families, nursing home residents, a whistleblower and advocacy organisations who all called on the government to establish a human rights-based public inquiry into how the State handled the care of older people in nursing homes.

The groups also called on the government to enact a care partner scheme so that residents would never again not have visits from a loved one.

A scheme has already been established in the North in 2021 and is working well, attendees heard.

The Care Champions event came days after Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, along with the party’s health spokesperson, David Cullinane TD, and Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú, held an online meeting with some of the families of the 23 residents who died in Dealgan House nursing home in Dundalk in April and May 2020.

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The Sinn Féin president heard testimonies from the Dealgan families who want a specific module in any pandemic inquiry to include an investigation into the catastrophic events at the Dundalk nursing home.

Ms McDonald told the families that she supports a human rights-based public inquiry into the pandemic and could see the need for a specific party of the investigation to focus on Dealgan, as it was the only nursing home in the State where operational control was taken by a hospital group.

Speaking after the Care Champions event, Deputy Ó Murchú said:

“It is clear from listening to the moving and, at times, harrowing testimonies from families and from nursing home residents that there is an overwhelming need for a human right-based inquiry into what happened in nursing homes during the pandemic.

“Families, including those from Dealgan House, want the truth about how and why their loved ones died.

“I raised the issue of a public inquiry with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in Leinster House last week and I spoke to him after our interaction.

“I believe that the government wants to set up an inquiry this year, but they have to listen to families of nursing home residents to ensure the terms of reference and the nature of the inquiry are appropriate to their needs.

“I commend and support all the incredible work done by the Dealgan families and by Care Champions in continuing to push for this much-needed public inquiry.”