theirishtimes--2020-10-10--Donnelly vows to permenantly increase the number of critical care beds

The Government will increase permanently the number of critical care beds in hospitals , the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has said .
The Minister told the annual conference of the Irish Hospital Consultants Association ( IHCA ) on Saturday that he accepted that Ireland still lagged behind the rest of Europe ; with an average of five or six intensive care unit beds per 100,000 population .
He said this was about half the EU average .
“ I promise to change that .
I am working with my officials in the Department of Health and with the HSE @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including securing the capacity that was put in place in the short term .
We are going to be doing that next , year , the following year and the year after that.
” “ As part of the response to the pandemic , funding for 42 additional critical care beds was put in place in March and we now have between 280-285 open critical care beds on any given day .
This is a welcome improvement on the pre-Covid position , but we all know that it is not enough.
” Mr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beds would be provided .
The HSE is understood to be seeking an additional 17 intensive care beds this year , 20 next year and a further 125 in 2022 .
This would bring the total in public hospitals to nearly 450 .
The Minister told the conference , which was held virtually , that as well as the provision of additional hospital beds and staff he wanted to see investment in implementing key strategies such as on maternity and trauma care which needed funding .
“ I want to see investment in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strategy , which have not yet had the level of investment required to progress them at the speed we must.
” Mr Donnelly said his winter could be the most challenging in living memory for the health service .
“ We need to support people at home , treat people in the community where possible , and then have a world class hospital system for those who need it .
That ’ s the challenge in the coming months and years.
” The Minister said that capital spending for the health services next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increase to €880 million .
Sinn Féin health spokesman David Cullinane proposed that a 1,000-bed hospital for elective patients only should be built at Merlin Park in Galway where public land was available .
He suggested that this would take pressure off existing hospitals in the west , north west and south west .
He said there should be four elective-only hospitals built across the State .
He said Sinn Féin also proposed putting in place 1,100 additional hospital beds as part of its alternative budget .
He said frontline personnel including hospital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and capacity they needed .
He said consultants spent too much time fighting for equipment that they needed .
He said that was the job of politicians .
Mr Cullinane criticised the two-tier pay system which , he said , saw specialist appointed since 2012 receive up to 30 per cent less than longer-serving colleagues .
The Minister said Government agreed in recent weeks to pass enabling legislation to address a number of pay issues .
“ On the back of this decision I announced that we will be introducing consultant contracts for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be introducing a new Sláintecare contract ( for hospital consultants ) .
This will see full pay restoration in line with the existing A contract ( which provides for consultants to treat only public patients ) .
” Mr Donnelly said he supported pay equality for consultants on type B and C contracts - which have private practice rights .
“ This is something I committed to in Opposition .
It is something I strongly advocated for at your conference last year .
It is something I am still strongly committed to as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the changes necessary to unlocking reform and addressing retention in our public system .
It is a policy I am pursuing.
” IHCA president Prof Alan Irvine told the conference that there needed to be clear timelines for the promises new beds and hospitals to be put in place .
He called for greater devolution of decision-making from the HSE centre to the regions .
He also said that the two -tier pay system needed to be ended and the process for recruiting medical specialists to be escalated rapidly .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ present with up to 20 months in some cases .
Prof Irvine said Covid-19 “ had sharply brought home the co-dependency that exists between a sustainable economy and properly resourced health system ” .
He will say that is a “ co-dependency which perhaps we didn ’ t truly appreciate up to now ” .

The Government will increase permanently the number of critical care beds in hospitals, the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has said.
The Minister told the annual conference of the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) on Saturday that he accepted that Ireland still lagged behind the rest of Europe; with an average of five or six intensive care unit beds per 100,000 population. He said this was about half the EU average.
"I promise to change that. I am working with my officials in the Department of Health and with the HSE to implement permanent critical care capacity, including securing the capacity that was put in place in the short term. We are going to be doing that next, year, the following year and the year after that."
“As part of the response to the pandemic, funding for 42 additional critical care beds was put in place in March and we now have between 280-285 open critical care beds on any given day. This is a welcome improvement on the pre-Covid position, but we all know that it is not enough.”
READ MORE
Mr Donnelly did not specify how many additional beds would be provided. The HSE is understood to be seeking an additional 17 intensive care beds this year, 20 next year and a further 125 in 2022. This would bring the total in public hospitals to nearly 450.
The Minister told the conference, which was held virtually, that as well as the provision of additional hospital beds and staff he wanted to see investment in implementing key strategies such as on maternity and trauma care which needed funding.
“I want to see investment in national programmes, such as the maternity strategy, which have not yet had the level of investment required to progress them at the speed we must.”
Challenging
Mr Donnelly said his winter could be the most challenging in living memory for the health service.
“We need to support people at home, treat people in the community where possible, and then have a world class hospital system for those who need it. That’s the challenge in the coming months and years.”
The Minister said that capital spending for the health services next year - on buildings and equipment -would increase to €880 million.
Sinn Féin health spokesman David Cullinane proposed that a 1,000-bed hospital for elective patients only should be built at Merlin Park in Galway where public land was available.
He suggested that this would take pressure off existing hospitals in the west, north west and south west.
He said there should be four elective-only hospitals built across the State.
He said Sinn Féin also proposed putting in place 1,100 additional hospital beds as part of its alternative budget.
He said frontline personnel including hospital consultants had not been given the tools and capacity they needed. He said consultants spent too much time fighting for equipment that they needed. He said that was the job of politicians.
Mr Cullinane criticised the two-tier pay system which, he said, saw specialist appointed since 2012 receive up to 30 per cent less than longer-serving colleagues.
The Minister said Government agreed in recent weeks to pass enabling legislation to address a number of pay issues.
“On the back of this decision I announced that we will be introducing consultant contracts for public health doctors. We will also be introducing a new Sláintecare contract (for hospital consultants). This will see full pay restoration in line with the existing A contract ( which provides for consultants to treat only public patients).”
Mr Donnelly said he supported pay equality for consultants on type B and C contracts - which have private practice rights.
“ This is something I committed to in Opposition. It is something I strongly advocated for at your conference last year. It is something I am still strongly committed to as Minister. I believe it to be one of the changes necessary to unlocking reform and addressing retention in our public system. It is a policy I am pursuing.”
IHCA president Prof Alan Irvine told the conference that there needed to be clear timelines for the promises new beds and hospitals to be put in place.
He called for greater devolution of decision-making from the HSE centre to the regions.
He also said that the two -tier pay system needed to be ended and the process for recruiting medical specialists to be escalated rapidly. He said this took far too long at present with up to 20 months in some cases.
Prof Irvine said Covid-19 “had sharply brought home the co-dependency that exists between a sustainable economy and properly resourced health system”. He will say that is a “ co-dependency which perhaps we didn’t truly appreciate up to now”.


theirishtimes--2020-10-11--The Drunkenness (Ireland) Bill 1905: ‘Needlessly offensive to every Irishman’

In the House of Commons , members were considering amendments to a Bill , which Irish Nationalist MP for South Louth , Joseph Nolan , condemned as “ uncalled for , ill-considered , mischievous in its provisions , and needlessly offensive to every Irishman who had any regard for the fair fame of his country.
” The MP found the very title – the Drunkenness ( Ireland ) Bill – objectionable .
Nolan ’ s comments were reported in The Irish Times the next day , on July 8th , 1905 .
The Bill ’ s provisions – which would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a different name – had broad support in the House of Commons .
Among other things , it aimed to financially protect the spouses of “ habitual drunkards ” – both husbands and wives – and set penalties for those found to be in charge of a child while drunk .
It also made it an offence to buy a drunk person a drink in or around a licenced premises – those found guilty were liable to “ a fine not exceeding forty shillings , or to imprisonment , with or without hard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one month.
” Nolan took issue with the idea that Ireland was a special case , with a uniquely drunk-enough population to require its own measures , “ as if drunkenness were more prevalent there than in England , Scotland or Wales.
” Perhaps he was right .
But generally speaking , “ intemperance ” among the Irish population had been a point of debate which frequently appeared on the pages of The Irish Times up to the point of Nolan ’ s defence of the “ fair fame ” of Ireland .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ – there was unquestionably a problem – but rather , the solution .
A search for “ drunkenness ” and “ Ireland ” in the archive of The Irish Times throws up some interesting results .
The temperance movement was gaining huge support worldwide during the 19th century , and Ireland was no different .
Any amount of organisations sprouted in the name of abstinence from alcohol – many , many meetings on the topic followed .
Drink was linked to just about every “ evil ” imaginable .
Sweden comes up a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , The Irish Times published a story about a meeting of the Blackrock chapter of the Hibernian Bible Society , which heard how the gospels had made their way through Sweden , where the drink had previously taken hold .
“ In Sweden… which had been remarkable as one of the countries where drunkenness was a plague , a wonderful revival had taken place and the Scriptures were spread through the land with the most encouraging result.
” Directly underneath the story , suitably , was a report about the meeting of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Metropolitan Hall , addressed by Benjamin Benson , an agent for the Irish Temperance League in America .
Benson , who would later become the proprietor of a temperance hotel and restaurant in Dublin , was a black man – and in his address , he inextricably linked strong liquor and slavery .
This came less than three years before the Emancipation Proclamation .
The Irish Times reported : “ Mr Benson was first introduced to the meeting , and having alluded to his being of African descent , said there existed prejudices @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their national character .
It was also a melancholy fact that slavery and intemperance went hand in hand together .
Strong drink is the father of slavery , and was so from the time of Noah and the patriarchs to the present hour.
” The same association , in the same location four years later , held a similar sort of meeting .
A petition was read that said the “ common sale of intoxicating liquors is the chief cause of the drunkenness , immorality , lunacy , crime and pauperism of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Census reports from the 19th century list the number of “ lunatics ” per county , along with the causes – which are broken into “ moral & mental ” and “ physical ” .
The first group contains the likes of : grief , terror , religious excitement and reverse of fortune .
The latter held “ causes ” such as : head injury , epilepsy , nervous system disease and intemperance .
In 1881 , for example , the census reports list “ intemperance ” as the second most common @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Those “ lunatics ” who were deemed to have induced their own condition through drinking did not garner unanimous sympathy .
At the annual meeting for supporters of the “ Stewart Institute for Imbeciles ” in January 1875 , a doctor named Banks said the residents there were “ more emphatically objects for their commiseration than the lunatic who brought on insanity by drunkenness , for intemperance was one of the most fertile causes of mental disease.
” Moral and social problems were , of course , a common talking point .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Irish Times weighed in .
“ There are some , too , who think that Christmas is a time for debauch and drunkenness , and for the robbery of their children ’ s food , ” said the piece , perhaps in an attempt to rouse the consciences of would-be imbibers .
“ May the voices of our old temple bells , sweeping over houses and rolling merrily yet tenderly along the pavement , stop them in their course and tell them that Christmas is the one festival of the year which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Crime was probably the largest selling point .
Drunkenness itself was a crime punishable by light sentences , but it was seen to be at the base of many other , more serious crimes .
Consequently , as the century progressed , the 1870s saw a fresh push to close pubs on Sundays .
By the late 1870s , Sunday was identified frequently in Irish Times reports as the drunkest day of the week .
A letter written by then Catholic Cardinal Paul Cullen in March 1870 illustrates the attitude of those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the crime we have to deplore in Ireland may be traced to drunkenness ; and as long as the doors of the public-house stand open during the leisure of the Sunday , it will be very difficult indeed to root out from among our people that degrading vice.
” Cullen called for legislation to impose the Sunday ban , for the “ spiritual and temporal welfare of our excellent people ” .
Religious figures were anti-liquor , generally .
A number of bishops , in the absence of legislation , told people to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( they said ) apparent localised success .
The Irish Times wrote of the Bishop of Cashel , upon his death in January 1875 that he had “ waged war ” against drunkenness – but he was far from the only one .
In Bessbrook , Co Armagh , a no-drink-on-Sunday policy had led to there being no need for police – at least , that ’ s according to a member of the Irish Sunday Closing Association , speaking in October 1875 .
A Bill was passed into law to shut the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cities of Dublin , Limerick , Waterford , Belfast and Cork – though publicans could sell liquor to “ bona-fide ” travellers of long distances – more than three miles .
It came into effect on October 1st , 1878 – initially for a trial period of four years – and was met with relative compliance .
Confusion remained around some issues – how could a publican tell how far a self-proclaimed traveller had come ?
The Irish Times even ran an “ ask the expert ” type Q & A with Isaac @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actually worked or not is another matter .
Initial results after six months indicated a steep drop-off in arrests for drunkenness .
Editions in later years , however , carried stories that claimed the exact opposite , and said that drunkenness had intensified in counties and towns to which the Act applied .
Unsurprisingly the victuallers ’ association was of the latter opinion .
The numbers often supported the pro-Sunday closers , however .
By December 1881 , There had been a reported 9,403 fewer arrests on Sundays , and 22,855 over all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the end of 1880 , there had been a reduction in the consumption of wine and spirits to the tune of nearly £3 million , according to the Act ’ s supporters .
The focus of the Sunday Closing Association turned to expanding the remit to the five cities , but that was strongly opposed .
The Act , when it expired after the trial , was renewed yearly under the Expiring Laws Continuance Act .
This went on for 24 years , when the Act was made permanent in 1906 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ big cities reduced from five ( 2pm – 7pm ) to three .
The argument for the Sunday closures was that if temptation made the thief , then the provision of strong liquor made the drunkard .
But The Irish Times , which was critical of some of the political tactics used to oppose the legislation , didn ’ t actually agree with the idea at the outset .
“ If all public houses were closed on Sundays there would still be drunk men and women , ” reads an editorial from February @ @ @ @ @ @ @ echoes closely some arguments already being made against the potential restriction of off-licence hours in 2020 .
Supporters of the movement , the paper said , “ would find that it is Saturday night ’ s supply which makes the inebriate on Sunday , and the galvanised drinker on Saint Monday , and the wo-begone , half silly , half mad man on Tuesday.
” A half-pint jug – some of them “ very neatly moulded to fit into the breast pocket of the vest ” – cost one penny back then .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Saturday , Act or no Act .

In the House of Commons, members were considering amendments to a Bill, which Irish Nationalist MP for South Louth, Joseph Nolan, condemned as “uncalled for, ill-considered, mischievous in its provisions, and needlessly offensive to every Irishman who had any regard for the fair fame of his country.”
The MP found the very title – the Drunkenness (Ireland) Bill – objectionable.
Nolan’s comments were reported in The Irish Times the next day, on July 8th, 1905. The Bill’s provisions – which would pass into law in November 1908 under a different name – had broad support in the House of Commons. Among other things, it aimed to financially protect the spouses of “habitual drunkards” – both husbands and wives – and set penalties for those found to be in charge of a child while drunk. It also made it an offence to buy a drunk person a drink in or around a licenced premises – those found guilty were liable to “a fine not exceeding forty shillings, or to imprisonment, with or without hard labour, for any period not exceeding one month.”
Nolan took issue with the idea that Ireland was a special case, with a uniquely drunk-enough population to require its own measures, "as if drunkenness were more prevalent there than in England, Scotland or Wales."
READ MORE
Perhaps he was right. But generally speaking, “intemperance” among the Irish population had been a point of debate which frequently appeared on the pages of The Irish Times up to the point of Nolan’s defence of the “fair fame” of Ireland. The debate was less about its existence – there was unquestionably a problem – but rather, the solution.
A search for “drunkenness” and “Ireland” in the archive of The Irish Times throws up some interesting results. The temperance movement was gaining huge support worldwide during the 19th century, and Ireland was no different. Any amount of organisations sprouted in the name of abstinence from alcohol – many, many meetings on the topic followed. Drink was linked to just about every “evil” imaginable.
Drinkers featured in ‘an Irish village scene’, dated between 1890 and 1910. Photograph: National Library of Ireland/ Flickr Commons
Sweden comes up a lot. On August 17th, 1860, The Irish Times published a story about a meeting of the Blackrock chapter of the Hibernian Bible Society, which heard how the gospels had made their way through Sweden, where the drink had previously taken hold. “In Sweden… which had been remarkable as one of the countries where drunkenness was a plague, a wonderful revival had taken place and the Scriptures were spread through the land with the most encouraging result.”
‘A melancholy fact’
Directly underneath the story, suitably, was a report about the meeting of the Total Abstinence Society at Dublin's Metropolitan Hall, addressed by Benjamin Benson, an agent for the Irish Temperance League in America. Benson, who would later become the proprietor of a temperance hotel and restaurant in Dublin, was a black man – and in his address, he inextricably linked strong liquor and slavery. This came less than three years before the Emancipation Proclamation.
The Irish Times reported: “Mr Benson was first introduced to the meeting, and having alluded to his being of African descent, said there existed prejudices against the Africans as they had lost their national character. It was also a melancholy fact that slavery and intemperance went hand in hand together. Strong drink is the father of slavery, and was so from the time of Noah and the patriarchs to the present hour.”
The same association, in the same location four years later, held a similar sort of meeting. A petition was read that said the “common sale of intoxicating liquors is the chief cause of the drunkenness, immorality, lunacy, crime and pauperism of the nation.”
Lunacy is an interesting one. Census reports from the 19th century list the number of “lunatics” per county, along with the causes – which are broken into “moral & mental” and “physical”. The first group contains the likes of: grief, terror, religious excitement and reverse of fortune. The latter held “causes” such as: head injury, epilepsy, nervous system disease and intemperance. In 1881, for example, the census reports list “intemperance” as the second most common “physical” cause of lunacy.
Those “lunatics” who were deemed to have induced their own condition through drinking did not garner unanimous sympathy. At the annual meeting for supporters of the “Stewart Institute for Imbeciles” in January 1875, a doctor named Banks said the residents there were “more emphatically objects for their commiseration than the lunatic who brought on insanity by drunkenness, for intemperance was one of the most fertile causes of mental disease.”
Moral and social problems were, of course, a common talking point. In a Christmas Eve editorial in 1874, The Irish Times weighed in. “There are some, too, who think that Christmas is a time for debauch and drunkenness, and for the robbery of their children’s food,” said the piece, perhaps in an attempt to rouse the consciences of would-be imbibers. “May the voices of our old temple bells, sweeping over houses and rolling merrily yet tenderly along the pavement, stop them in their course and tell them that Christmas is the one festival of the year which should hallow wife and child and home.”
Sunday closing
Crime was probably the largest selling point. Drunkenness itself was a crime punishable by light sentences, but it was seen to be at the base of many other, more serious crimes. Consequently, as the century progressed, the 1870s saw a fresh push to close pubs on Sundays. By the late 1870s, Sunday was identified frequently in Irish Times reports as the drunkest day of the week.
A letter written by then Catholic Cardinal Paul Cullen in March 1870 illustrates the attitude of those backing Sunday closing:
“Almost all the crime we have to deplore in Ireland may be traced to drunkenness; and as long as the doors of the public-house stand open during the leisure of the Sunday, it will be very difficult indeed to root out from among our people that degrading vice.” Cullen called for legislation to impose the Sunday ban, for the “spiritual and temporal welfare of our excellent people”.
Religious figures were anti-liquor, generally. A number of bishops, in the absence of legislation, told people to refrain from drink on Sundays, with (they said) apparent localised success. The Irish Times wrote of the Bishop of Cashel, upon his death in January 1875 that he had "waged war" against drunkenness – but he was far from the only one. In Bessbrook, Co Armagh, a no-drink-on-Sunday policy had led to there being no need for police – at least, that's according to a member of the Irish Sunday Closing Association, speaking in October 1875.
A Bill was passed into law to shut the pubs on Sundays in all but the cities of Dublin, Limerick, Waterford, Belfast and Cork – though publicans could sell liquor to "bona-fide" travellers of long distances – more than three miles. It came into effect on October 1st, 1878 – initially for a trial period of four years – and was met with relative compliance. Confusion remained around some issues – how could a publican tell how far a self-proclaimed traveller had come? The Irish Times even ran an "ask the expert" type Q&A with Isaac Butt on October 5th.
Whether it actually worked or not is another matter. Initial results after six months indicated a steep drop-off in arrests for drunkenness. Editions in later years, however, carried stories that claimed the exact opposite, and said that drunkenness had intensified in counties and towns to which the Act applied. Unsurprisingly the victuallers’ association was of the latter opinion.
The numbers often supported the pro-Sunday closers, however. By December 1881, There had been a reported 9,403 fewer arrests on Sundays, and 22,855 over all. Between the implementation of the Act and the end of 1880, there had been a reduction in the consumption of wine and spirits to the tune of nearly £3 million, according to the Act’s supporters.
The focus of the Sunday Closing Association turned to expanding the remit to the five cities, but that was strongly opposed. The Act, when it expired after the trial, was renewed yearly under the Expiring Laws Continuance Act. This went on for 24 years, when the Act was made permanent in 1906, and the hours of sale in the big cities reduced from five (2pm – 7pm) to three.
The argument for the Sunday closures was that if temptation made the thief, then the provision of strong liquor made the drunkard. But The Irish Times, which was critical of some of the political tactics used to oppose the legislation, didn’t actually agree with the idea at the outset. “If all public houses were closed on Sundays there would still be drunk men and women,” reads an editorial from February 3rd, 1877 – a piece which echoes closely some arguments already being made against the potential restriction of off-licence hours in 2020.
Supporters of the movement, the paper said, “would find that it is Saturday night’s supply which makes the inebriate on Sunday, and the galvanised drinker on Saint Monday, and the wo-begone, half silly, half mad man on Tuesday.” A half-pint jug – some of them “very neatly moulded to fit into the breast pocket of the vest” – cost one penny back then. You could fill that with spirits on a Saturday, Act or no Act.


theirishtimes--2020-10-10--Hundreds clash in violent exchanges at Dublin protest

Hundreds of protestors clashed over lockdown measures in Dublin city centre on Saturday with gardaí at times struggling to contain violent exchanges between both sides .
A protest by anti-mask and anti-lockdown groups , including the right-wing National Party , was organised to take place outside Leinster House at 1pm on Saturday .
However , scuffles quickly broke out when the demonstration was met with a group of counter-protestors .
Gardaí confirmed an investigation focused on the organisers of both protests is now under way , while two men , one in his 30s and second in his 40s , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A full Garda operation was in place from early morning involving up to 100 Garda personnel from the Dublin South Central and North Central divisions , as well as the National Public Order Unit and the Garda dog and mounted units .
The group of at least 100 counter-protestors , which appeared highly coordinated but made up of disparate groups , met opposite the Shelbourne Hotel on St Stephens ’ s Green at 12.45pm .
The group , all of whom were masked and mostly dressed in black , marched down Dawson St @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moving towards Leinster House chanting “ Nazi scum , off our streets ” .
The group was flanked by uniformed gardaí on bicycles , while several Garda vans from the force ’ s public order unit remained on standby in the vicinity .
Plain clothes members of the Garda also mingled among the crowds .
The anti-lockdown protestors at Leinster House began to chant “ Antifa ” at the counter-protestors as they moved closer , and , as soon both sides were within yards of another , both surged forward and violent clashes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both sides threw punches and kicks , while nuts , bolts , fireworks , and other projectiles were launched .
Nearby gardaí on bicycles quickly dismounted , threw them to one side , drew their batons and rushed in to break up the violence .
Other members of the force jumped over cordons and began to form a line between the two groups .
As gardaí began to get the situation back under control , steel barriers were quickly erected to keep both sides apart .
However , several counter-protestors broke away and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bearing away up Kildare St before more gardaí moved in and blocked their passage .
The gardaí at times struggled to contain the situation as protesters from both sides tried to circumvent the barriers and reach the other side by moving around to different streets .
At one such point , when it appeared as though more chaos may be about to unfold , a Garda member screamed at colleagues lined up in front of him to “ hold the line ” .
Moments later , he shouted again : “ No matter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t break the line please.
” At another point , a woman among the counter-protestors approached the Garda line , prompting a Garda to draw her baton and shout “ get back ” before the woman withdrew .
Later , a man fell to the ground after being punched in the face by a protestor on Molesworth St who seemed to believe he was a member of the anti-lockdown group who had circumvented gardaí .
At several points , members of the group of counter-protestors , with their entire faces covered , approached @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see credentials and identification .
Some threatened reporters and attempted to stop the taking of photographs and the shooting of videos .
Members of the gardaí intervened on at least two occasions to stop these interventions turning violent .
“ You can ’ t go back up there , ” said one Garda .
“ They have you marked .
I wouldn ’ t be able to pull you out .
Well not that I won ’ t be able to pull you out , but you know what I mean.
” As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ National Party , spoke through a megaphone at Leinster House , the counter-protestors formed a line along Molesworth St and refused to allow members of the public or the media to pass as the gardaí looked on .
When The Irish Times attempted to move back up the street , a man approached and demanded identification .
When this was refused after the man himself refused to identify himself , the man said : “ I ’ m going to have ask you to move on.
” The man confirmed he was not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Some time later , more than two hours after the start of the clashes , the group began to march back down Molesworth St and once again attempted to circumvent Garda cordons at each end of Kildare St. Gardaí again moved in quickly to erect fresh barriers at either end .
As the group ran down Kildare St , one member of the group shouted to the others to “ keep it tight ” as they approached the Garda cordon .
However , once it became clear that all access to Leinster House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the GPO before finally dispersing .
As the group was making its way across the city , members of the public eating lunch outside cafes or sitting on the tops of the buses , looked on open-mouthed .

Hundreds of protesters clashed over lockdown measures in Dublin city centre on Saturday with gardaí at times struggling to contain violent exchanges between both sides.
A protest by anti-mask and anti-lockdown groups, including the right-wing National Party, was organised to take place outside Leinster House at 1pm on Saturday. However, scuffles quickly broke out when the demonstration was met with a group of counter-protesters.
Gardaí confirmed an investigation focused on the organisers of both protests is now under way, while two men, one in his 30s and second in his 40s, were arrested for public order offences.
Gardaí at the protest outside Leinster House. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill/The Irish Times
An Irish tricolour is thrown through the air while members of An Garda Síochána intervene as anti-lockdown protesters clashed with counter demonstrators during an anti-lockdown protest outside Leinster House on Saturday. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA Wire
An anti-lockdown protest was met with with a counter protest in Dublin city and Gardai struggled to keep the two protests at distance.
Counter-demonstrators (left) clash with activists protesting against the Government’s imposed restrictions put in place to help stem the rise in the number of Covid-19 cases outside Leinster House on Saturday. Photograph: Paul Faith/AFP via Getty
A full Garda operation was in place from early morning involving up to 100 Garda personnel from the Dublin South Central and North Central divisions, as well as the National Public Order Unit and the Garda dog and mounted units.
READ MORE
The group of at least 100 counter-protesters, which appeared highly coordinated but made up of disparate groups, met opposite the Shelbourne Hotel on St Stephens's Green at 12.45pm.
The group, all of whom were masked and mostly dressed in black, marched down Dawson St and turned right onto Molesworth St before moving towards Leinster House chanting "Nazi scum, off our streets".
The group was flanked by uniformed gardaí on bicycles, while several Garda vans from the force’s public order unit remained on standby in the vicinity. Plain clothes members of the Garda also mingled among the crowds.
Barriers
The anti-lockdown protesters at Leinster House began to chant “Antifa” at the counter-protesters as they moved closer, and, as soon both sides were within yards of another, both surged forward and violent clashes immediately ensued.
Counter-demonstrators (left) clash with activists protesting against Covid-19 restrictions in Dublin on Saturday. Photograph: Paul Faith/AFP via Getty
Dozens of people on both sides threw punches and kicks, while nuts, bolts, fireworks, and other projectiles were launched. Nearby gardaí on bicycles quickly dismounted, threw them to one side, drew their batons and rushed in to break up the violence.
Other members of the force jumped over cordons and began to form a line between the two groups. As gardaí began to get the situation back under control, steel barriers were quickly erected to keep both sides apart.
However, several counter-protesters broke away and tried to reach the other group by bearing away up Kildare St before more gardaí moved in and blocked their passage.
The gardaí at times struggled to contain the situation as protesters from both sides tried to circumvent the barriers and reach the other side by moving around to different streets.
At one such point, when it appeared as though more chaos may be about to unfold, a Garda member screamed at colleagues lined up in front of him to “hold the line”. Moments later, he shouted again: “No matter what happens out there, don’t break the line please.”
At another point, a woman among the counter-protesters approached the Garda line, prompting a Garda to draw her baton and shout “get back” before the woman withdrew.
Later, a man fell to the ground after being punched in the face by a protester on Molesworth St who seemed to believe he was a member of the anti-lockdown group who had circumvented gardaí.
‘Move on’
At several points, members of the group of counter-protesters, with their entire faces covered, approached members of the media and demanded to see credentials and identification.
Some threatened reporters and attempted to stop the taking of photographs and the shooting of videos. Members of the gardaí intervened on at least two occasions to stop these interventions turning violent.
“You can’t go back up there,” said one Garda. “They have you marked. I wouldn’t be able to pull you out. Well not that I won’t be able to pull you out, but you know what I mean.”
As Justin Barrett, the leader of the National Party, spoke through a megaphone at Leinster House, the counter-protesters formed a line along Molesworth St and refused to allow members of the public or the media to pass as the gardaí looked on.
When The Irish Times attempted to move back up the street, a man approached and demanded identification. When this was refused after the man himself refused to identify himself, the man said: “I’m going to have ask you to move on.”
The man confirmed he was not an undercover member of the Garda.
Some time later, more than two hours after the start of the clashes, the group began to march back down Molesworth St and once again attempted to circumvent Garda cordons at each end of Kildare St. Gardaí again moved in quickly to erect fresh barriers at either end.
As the group ran down Kildare St, one member of the group shouted to the others to “keep it tight” as they approached the Garda cordon. However, once it became clear that all access to Leinster House was blocked, the group marched on the GPO before finally dispersing.
As the group was making its way across the city, members of the public eating lunch outside cafes or sitting on the tops of the buses, looked on open-mouthed.


theirishtimes--2020-10-10--‘We can make Level 3 work’ : Taoiseach says Ireland has the resources to cope with Covid

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has asked the public to change their behaviours so “ we can make Level 3 work , protect lives and livelihoods ” and stop Covid-19 spreading .
Mr Martin said in a statement on Sunday the move to Level 3 involved tightening coronavirus restrictions on people and society , which particularly affected the hospitality sector .
“ Covid-19 is challenging countries across Europe and throughout the world , ” he said .
“ The coming weeks will be challenging but working with Nphet , we will respond firmly and appropriately .
We have the capacity and resources @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ An unprecedented level of resources have been allocated to the health services , both in the Winter Plan and throughout the entirety of 2021.
” Mr Martin said these resources will enable the health service to cope with Covid-19 , and will ensure better health service for the future .
Earlier , public health officials have issued stark warnings about the spread of Covid-19 after a further three people died and record number of new cases were recorded .
The National Public Health Emergency Team ( Nphet ) said on Saturday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disease were reported .
It is the highest number of cases in a single day since the height of the pandemic on April 15th , when 1,068 were recorded .
It is only the third time daily case numbers have risen above 1,000 .
On Sunday HSE chief Paul Reid said the disease was “ worsening at pace ” .
In a Tweet he added : “ We all need to get real & play our part to protect patients & our healthcare workers.Increased hospital cases leads to more people in ICU & @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s turn this around quickly by doing the right thing today.
” Saturday ’ s figures bring to 1,824 the number of people who have died of the disease in the Republic of Ireland with a total of 41,714 cases confirmed in the State since the start of the pandemic .
Of Saturday ’ s cases , 511 are men and 496 are women , 71 per cent are under 45 years of age while the median age of those diagnosed is 30 years old .
A total of 241 of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cork , 80 in Cavan , 72 in Meath , 66 in Galway , and the remaining 441 cases are spread across 21 other counties .
As of 8am on Sunday there were 201 Covid-19 patients hospitalised , of which 30 are in ICU .
At 8pm on Saturday night there were 198 confirmed cases in Irish hospitals , 103 suspected cases .
According to the HSE ’ s daily operations update , of the confirmed cases the highest number ( 22 ) was in Cavan , followed by Beaumont ( 21 ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ University Hospital ( 15 ) .
There were 39 adult and three paediatric intensive care beds available in Ireland last night .
Confirmed cases of Covid-19 have risen almost fourfold in Irish hospitals over the past month , the figures show .
Over the same period , there has been an even greater increase in the number of patients admitted to intensive care units ( ICU ) with coronavirus .
The high and rising number of cases and hospitalisations will prompt a further examination of the Government ’ s strategy to contain the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nphet last weekend to move the State to the most severe Level 5 .
Instead it moved the country to Level 3 on the five-level alert system .
Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan , said on Saturday night : “ I am very worried about the numbers we are seeing and how quickly they are deteriorating .
“ All of today ’ s 1,012 cases were notified to the HPSC over a period of 24 hours up to midnight .
“ The 14-day incidence rate has increased from 108 per 100,000 last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which represents a 39 per cent increase .
“ All of the important indicators of the disease are deteriorating .
For example , there has been a consistent increase in test positivity over the past week .
The test positivity rate up to midnight Friday October 9th was 6.2 per cent , which has more than doubled in less than a fortnight .
“ Case numbers are growing across all age groups and throughout the country.
” Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn said on Saturday : “ In the past 24 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ admissions of laboratory confirmed cases to hospital and 4 new admissions to ICU .
There are now 199 people in hospital and 31 in ICU .
Every age group , location and household needs to act now , limit your contacts and stop the disease in its tracks.
” In the North , another 902 people tested positive for Covid-19 but no new deaths were reported on Saturday .
The figures come as a family doctor in Cork warned rates of infection are escalating “ really , really quickly ” and are going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
General practitioner Dr Ronan Boland said “ the picture has changed pretty dramatically in the space of three or four weeks.
” “ We ’ ve gone from a situation when the schools reopened in early September , when there was a huge demand for testing and the vast majority of those tests were negative.. ( to ) now , what we are actually seeing , a much higher positivity rate , ” he said .
Dr Boland said Covid hubs set up by the Health Service Executive ( HSE ) towards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic , which were “ almost not needed ” at that stage , are now operating at full capacity .
The majority of patients turning up at the hubs are testing positive for the disease and “ most of them ( are ) quite sick ” while some are being admitted by ambulance directly from the hub to hospital , he told RTÉ Radio One .
Dr Boland said GPs looking to refer patients to hubs can not get an appointment “ because it was over capacity on the day.
” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he said .
Most GPs in Cork city have had several patients testing positive , he said , adding that the city ’ s hospitals “ are pretty much at full capacity ” .
Some 50 people were waiting for hospital beds in the city yesterday and there are only two vacant ICU beds , he said .
“ What we are seeing in terms of actual cases reflects infections that happened seven to 14 days ago , so even if level three ( of the Government restrictions to stem the spread @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what you can say with certainty is that things are going to get worse over the next two or three weeks before they get better , ” Dr Boland added .
The “ fervent hope ” is that the level three restrictions will work in reducing the rate of increase of infection and illness as it “ has grown very , very rapidly and the capacity simply isn ’ t there to deal with a big increase in very sick patients over the next few weeks .
”

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has asked the public to change their behaviours so “we can make Level 3 work, protect lives and livelihoods” and stop Covid-19 spreading.
Mr Martin said in a statement on Sunday the move to Level 3 involved tightening coronavirus restrictions on people and society, which particularly affected the hospitality sector.
“Covid-19 is challenging countries across Europe and throughout the world,” he said.
Hospital Report
I am very worried about the numbers we are seeing and how quickly they are deteriorating.
All of today’s 1,012 cases were notified to @hpscireland over a period of 24 hours up to midnight.
All of the important indicators of the disease are deteriorating...
(1/3) https://t.co/b9bij8DRE4 — Dr Tony Holohan (@CMOIreland) October 10, 2020
“The coming weeks will be challenging but working with Nphet, we will respond firmly and appropriately. We have the capacity and resources to come through this and we will.
READ MORE
“An unprecedented level of resources have been allocated to the health services, both in the Winter Plan and throughout the entirety of 2021.”
Mr Martin said these resources would enable the health service to cope with Covid-19, and ensure better health service for the future.
Earlier, public health officials have issued stark warnings about the spread of Covid-19 after a further three people died and record number of new cases were recorded.
The National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) said on Saturday a further 1,012 new cases of the disease were reported. It is the highest number of cases in a single day since the height of the pandemic on April 15th, when 1,068 were recorded. It is only the third time daily case numbers have risen above 1,000.
On Sunday HSE chief Paul Reid said the disease was “worsening at pace”. In a Tweet he added: “We all need to get real & play our part to protect patients & our healthcare workers.Increased hospital cases leads to more people in ICU & cancelling heart, cancer & other care.Let’s turn this around quickly by doing the right thing today.”
Saturday's figures bring to 1,824 the number of people who have died of the disease in the Republic of Ireland with a total of 41,714 cases confirmed in the State since the start of the pandemic.
Of Saturday's cases, 511 are men and 496 are women, 71 per cent are under 45 years of age while the median age of those diagnosed is 30 years old. A total of 241 of the cases are in Dublin, 112 in Cork, 80 in Cavan, 72 in Meath, 66 in Galway, and the remaining 441 cases are spread across 21 other counties.
As of 8am on Sunday there were 201 Covid-19 patients hospitalised, of which 30 are in ICU. At 8pm on Saturday night there were 198 confirmed cases in Irish hospitals, 103 suspected cases. According to the HSE's daily operations update, of the confirmed cases the highest number (22) was in Cavan, followed by Beaumont (21), Tallaght (18) and Cork University Hospital (15).
There were 39 adult and three paediatric intensive care beds available in Ireland last night.
Confirmed cases of Covid-19 have risen almost fourfold in Irish hospitals over the past month, the figures show. Over the same period, there has been an even greater increase in the number of patients admitted to intensive care units (ICU) with coronavirus.
The high and rising number of cases and hospitalisations will prompt a further examination of the Government’s strategy to contain the spread of coronavirus having rejected advice from Nphet last weekend to move the State to the most severe Level 5. Instead it moved the country to Level 3 on the five-level alert system.
CMO Dr Tony Holohan pictured at a media briefing on Wednesday. Photograph: Colin Keegan, Collins
Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan, said on Saturday night: "I am very worried about the numbers we are seeing and how quickly they are deteriorating.
“All of today’s 1,012 cases were notified to the HPSC over a period of 24 hours up to midnight.
“The 14-day incidence rate has increased from 108 per 100,000 last Sunday to 150 per 100,000 today, which represents a 39 per cent increase.
“All of the important indicators of the disease are deteriorating. For example, there has been a consistent increase in test positivity over the past week. The test positivity rate up to midnight Friday October 9th was 6.2 per cent, which has more than doubled in less than a fortnight.
“Case numbers are growing across all age groups and throughout the country.”
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn said on Saturday: “In the past 24 hours, there have been 35 new admissions of laboratory confirmed cases to hospital and 4 new admissions to ICU. There are now 199 people in hospital and 31 in ICU. Every age group, location and household needs to act now, limit your contacts and stop the disease in its tracks.”
Northern Ireland
In the North, another 902 people tested positive for Covid-19 but no new deaths were reported on Saturday.
The figures come as a family doctor in Cork warned rates of infection are escalating “really, really quickly” and are going to get worse over the coming weeks.
General practitioner Dr Ronan Boland said "the picture has changed pretty dramatically in the space of three or four weeks."
“We’ve gone from a situation when the schools reopened in early September, when there was a huge demand for testing and the vast majority of those tests were negative.. (to) now, what we are actually seeing, a much higher positivity rate,” he said.
Dr Boland said Covid hubs set up by the Health Service Executive (HSE) towards the end of the first wave of the pandemic, which were "almost not needed" at that stage, are now operating at full capacity.
A Covid patient is transferred along a corridor in St Vincents University Hospital, Dublin in April. Photograph: Alan Betson
The majority of patients turning up at the hubs are testing positive for the disease and "most of them (are) quite sick" while some are being admitted by ambulance directly from the hub to hospital, he told RTÉ Radio One.
Dr Boland said GPs looking to refer patients to hubs can not get an appointment “because it was over capacity on the day.”
“It happened really, really quickly,” he said.
Most GPs in Cork city have had several patients testing positive, he said, adding that the city’s hospitals “are pretty much at full capacity”.
Some 50 people were waiting for hospital beds in the city yesterday and there are only two vacant ICU beds, he said.
“What we are seeing in terms of actual cases reflects infections that happened seven to 14 days ago, so even if level three (of the Government restrictions to stem the spread of the virus) worked today, what you can say with certainty is that things are going to get worse over the next two or three weeks before they get better,” Dr Boland added.
The “fervent hope” is that the level three restrictions will work in reducing the rate of increase of infection and illness as it “has grown very, very rapidly and the capacity simply isn’t there to deal with a big increase in very sick patients over the next few weeks.”


theirishtimes--2020-10-12--Parents of boy killed in 2018 air crash sue for psychiatric shock and loss

The parents of a seven-year-old boy killed in a 2018 plane crash have taken legal actions against the Irish Parachute Club and the owners of the aircraft for injuries and loss .
English pilot Niall Bowditch ( 47 ) and Kacpar Kacprzak ( 7 ) were killed when a Cessna 208B aircraft in which they were travelling crashed in a forested peat bog in Co Offaly on May 13th , 2018 .
The plane was returning to the Irish Parachute Club ’ s airfield in Clonbullogue near Edenderry after 16 skydivers had jumped from the aircraft .
The boy ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ club .
An Air Accident Investigation Unit report , published in March , concluded that a steeply banked turn led to the loss of control of the light aircraft and there was insufficient height above ground to allow a successful recovery .
The plane descended at a near-vertical altitude crashing nose-first at Ballaghassanan .
The report found the impact was so great that the entire front section of the aircraft was below the surface of the peat bog to a depth of almost 5m and the plane had to be dug out with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the bodies of the two victims from the wreckage .
Parents Krzysztof Kacprzak and Kamila Sliwka have issued High Court proceedings against the Irish Parachute Club , along with five named members of the club , and Parachuting Caravan Leasing , the English-based company that owned the Cessna 208B aircraft .
The named members of the club listed as defendants are Michael Flaherty , Maurice Hayden , Noel Larragy , Vernon McCarthy and Susan Fryer .
The personal legal representative of the pilot , Mr Bowditch , who lived in the UK @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defendant in the case .
The parents , who are represented by solicitor Deborah Crowley at the Dublin law practice Ferrys , claim negligence along with breach of duty and statutory duty for permitting the boy to be on board and for permitting the aircraft to execute an excessively steeply banked left turn .
The couple , who are originally from Poland and have been long-time residents in west Dublin , claim the accident caused them personal injuries and psychiatric shock and loss .
Mr Kacprzak , a 41-year-old technician , was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out from the airfield to locate the crashed plane .
He has since been diagnosed with psychiatric conditions as a result of the tragedy .
Ms Sliwka , a 39-year-old technician , was at the airfield when the search took place to find the downed aircraft and was aware of searching parties returning and being unable to locate the plane , adding to her distress .
The boy ’ s mother had to undergo a number of interviews with gardaí and to provide DNA samples for the identification of her son following the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flashbacks and distress in the wake of the tragedy .
Both husband and wife have suffered from the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder since the incident , their legal claims state .
Victor Clarke of Carlow law firm Clarke Jeffers & Co , who represents the Irish Parachute Club and its named members , said they could not comment on live proceedings before the courts .
The club and its members said : “ Kacpar was a lovely little boy who lived for aviation .
His father is a long-standing member of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the club .
Our hearts and sincerest condolences go out to them.
” Solicitor Gerry Carroll of Dublin firm Whitney Moore , representing the aircraft owner Parachuting Caravan Leasing , said that the firm felt it would not be appropriate to comment .
The couple ’ s cases have yet to be listed by the High Court .

The parents of a seven-year-old boy killed in a 2018 plane crash have taken legal actions against the Irish Parachute Club and the owners of the aircraft for injuries and loss.
English pilot Niall Bowditch (47) and Kacpar Kacprzak (7) were killed when a Cessna 208B aircraft in which they were travelling crashed in a forested peat bog in Co Offaly on May 13th, 2018.
The plane was returning to the Irish Parachute Club's airfield in Clonbullogue near Edenderry after 16 skydivers had jumped from the aircraft.
The boy’s father was a member of the club.
READ MORE
An Air Accident Investigation Unit report, published in March, concluded that a steeply banked turn led to the loss of control of the light aircraft and there was insufficient height above ground to allow a successful recovery. The plane descended at a near-vertical altitude crashing nose-first at Ballaghassanan.
Wreckage
The report found the impact was so great that the entire front section of the aircraft was below the surface of the peat bog to a depth of almost 5m and the plane had to be dug out with a mechanical digger, delaying the recovery of the bodies of the two victims from the wreckage.
Parents Krzysztof Kacprzak and Kamila Sliwka have issued High Court proceedings against the Irish Parachute Club, along with five named members of the club, and Parachuting Caravan Leasing, the English-based company that owned the Cessna 208B aircraft.
The named members of the club listed as defendants are Michael Flaherty, Maurice Hayden, Noel Larragy, Vernon McCarthy and Susan Fryer. The personal legal representative of the pilot, Mr Bowditch, who lived in the UK, has also been named as a defendant in the case.
The parents, who are represented by solicitor Deborah Crowley at the Dublin law practice Ferrys, claim negligence along with breach of duty and statutory duty for permitting the boy to be on board and for permitting the aircraft to execute an excessively steeply banked left turn.
The couple, who are originally from Poland and have been long-time residents in west Dublin, claim the accident caused them personal injuries and psychiatric shock and loss.
Mr Kacprzak, a 41-year-old technician, was a member of the search party who spread out from the airfield to locate the crashed plane. He has since been diagnosed with psychiatric conditions as a result of the tragedy.
Distress
Ms Sliwka, a 39-year-old technician, was at the airfield when the search took place to find the downed aircraft and was aware of searching parties returning and being unable to locate the plane, adding to her distress.
The boy’s mother had to undergo a number of interviews with gardaí and to provide DNA samples for the identification of her son following the crash.
The woman has suffered constant flashbacks and distress in the wake of the tragedy.
Both husband and wife have suffered from the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder since the incident, their legal claims state.
Victor Clarke of Carlow law firm Clarke Jeffers & Co, who represents the Irish Parachute Club and its named members, said they could not comment on live proceedings before the courts.
The club and its members said: “Kacpar was a lovely little boy who lived for aviation. His father is a long-standing member of the club and the family are well known to the club. Our hearts and sincerest condolences go out to them.”
Solicitor Gerry Carroll of Dublin firm Whitney Moore, representing the aircraft owner Parachuting Caravan Leasing, said that the firm felt it would not be appropriate to comment.
The couple’s cases have yet to be listed by the High Court.


theirishtimes--2020-10-12--Covid and Queen’s: ‘A very different year’ at the Belfast university

When the coronavirus pandemic took hold earlier this year , scientists sudden dominated the airwaves .
“ I never knew Northern Ireland had so many virologists , ” was a common observation .
Many of those experts – not least the North ’ s chief scientific adviser , Prof Ian Young – were from Queen ’ s University Belfast .
Throughout lockdown their medical research teams remained in the lab , studying the virus .
Queen ’ s was part of the trial that discovered dexamethasone could reduce mortality in patients with Covid-19 .
At the same time , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the “ totally unprecedented ” situation , says Prof Ian Greer , the president and vice-chancellor at Queen ’ s .
That included moving the summer term online ; confusion over exam results in August , which resulted in 700 extra first-year students from Northern Ireland alone ; and the preparations for a “ very different year ” on campus , with a mix of online and face-to-face tuition .
Much of this has been played out in the public eye , not least the scenes last month of house parties and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Holyland , which saw police enforcement of the Covid-19 regulations , although police pointed out that most of those fined were not students .
At Queen ’ s , 64 students were suspended for two weeks after the police issued Covid notices against them ; at the Elms , the university ’ s own halls of residence , increased supervision was introduced and a social area closed at night after a video emerged of students dancing to Rock the Boat with no masks and no social distancing .
“ We had trusted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they knew , or ought to have known , the measures that needed to be in place , so of course we were disappointed to see that particular episode in the social facilities , ” says Greer .
“ The vast majority of our students have been incredibly responsible during a very challenging and difficult time .
Of course , sometimes there are lapses ... when that does happen we do step in and take disciplinary action.
” Yet he emphasises that those involved are a “ small minority ” and feels young @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Queen ’ s has about 24,000-25,000 students , and about 4,000 members of staff ; in the past seven days it has recorded about 180 cases of coronavirus .
Most cases are among students , though 15 staff have had Covid-19 .
Greer says there have been “ very low ” infection rates in teaching spaces , with most infections occurring in accommodation , social settings and households .
Students with the virus – or who have been told to self-isolate – receive free accommodation for two weeks and other supports .
Last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accommodation contracts for three months to allow students who wished to return home and study remotely to do so .
Greer says guidance is needed from the Executive on the question of students returning home at weekends .
He says the advice to limit travel is “ more complex ” with students , many of whom have weekend jobs outside Belfast .
Queen ’ s has also been considering the economic impact of Covid-19 on the university ; initial estimates were that this could be £30 million-£88 million , though the current assessment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the high end of that.
” Most reassuring is that student numbers have “ held up ” , though there was no additional income for the 700 extra students .
Funds have been further reduced through the cancellation of conferences and other events ; non-Covid research has been disrupted , as has research income .
In the unknown landscape ahead , there is also Brexit ; Greer stresses that the university is “ very keen to be able to work with colleagues in the South ” .
“ With Brexit , what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are incentives and support to allow cross-Border working.
” Infectious diseases are a good example , he says .
“ Should we have an all-Ireland infectious disease centre , should we have an all-Ireland cancer centre ?
Because these diseases don ’ t respect borders and the systems are integrated .
”

When the coronavirus pandemic took hold earlier this year, scientists sudden dominated the airwaves. “I never knew Northern Ireland had so many virologists,” was a common observation.
Many of those experts – not least the North’s chief scientific adviser, Prof Ian Young – were from Queen’s University Belfast. Throughout lockdown their medical research teams remained in the lab, studying the virus. Queen’s was part of the trial that discovered dexamethasone could reduce mortality in patients with Covid-19.
At the same time, the university was trying to get to grips with the “totally unprecedented” situation, says Prof Ian Greer, the president and vice-chancellor at Queen’s.
That included moving the summer term online; confusion over exam results in August, which resulted in 700 extra first-year students from Northern Ireland alone; and the preparations for a “very different year” on campus, with a mix of online and face-to-face tuition.
READ MORE
Much of this has been played out in the public eye, not least the scenes last month of house parties and on-street drinking in the predominantly student area of Holyland, which saw police enforcement of the Covid-19 regulations, although police pointed out that most of those fined were not students.
At Queen’s, 64 students were suspended for two weeks after the police issued Covid notices against them; at the Elms, the university’s own halls of residence, increased supervision was introduced and a social area closed at night after a video emerged of students dancing to Rock the Boat with no masks and no social distancing.
Prof Ian Greer
“We had trusted our students to be responsible, and they knew, or ought to have known, the measures that needed to be in place, so of course we were disappointed to see that particular episode in the social facilities,” says Greer.
“The vast majority of our students have been incredibly responsible during a very challenging and difficult time. Of course, sometimes there are lapses ... when that does happen we do step in and take disciplinary action.”
Yet he emphasises that those involved are a “small minority” and feels young people have often been unfairly stigmatised.
Coronavirus cases
Queen’s has about 24,000-25,000 students, and about 4,000 members of staff; in the past seven days it has recorded about 180 cases of coronavirus.
Most cases are among students, though 15 staff have had Covid-19. Greer says there have been “very low” infection rates in teaching spaces, with most infections occurring in accommodation, social settings and households.
Students with the virus – or who have been told to self-isolate – receive free accommodation for two weeks and other supports. Last week the university announced it would suspend accommodation contracts for three months to allow students who wished to return home and study remotely to do so.
Greer says guidance is needed from the Executive on the question of students returning home at weekends. He says the advice to limit travel is “more complex” with students, many of whom have weekend jobs outside Belfast.
Queen’s has also been considering the economic impact of Covid-19 on the university; initial estimates were that this could be £30 million-£88 million, though the current assessment is that it will “not be at the high end of that.”
Most reassuring is that student numbers have “held up”, though there was no additional income for the 700 extra students. Funds have been further reduced through the cancellation of conferences and other events; non-Covid research has been disrupted, as has research income.
In the unknown landscape ahead, there is also Brexit; Greer stresses that the university is “very keen to be able to work with colleagues in the South” .
“With Brexit, what we’d really like to see are incentives and support to allow cross-Border working.”
Infectious diseases are a good example, he says. “Should we have an all-Ireland infectious disease centre, should we have an all-Ireland cancer centre? Because these diseases don’t respect borders and the systems are integrated.”


theirishtimes--2020-10-12--Senior nurses seek higher pay to restore differential with junior grades

Nurses in more senior grades are pressing for higher pay to restore the difference between their salaries and those in lower level posts that existed prior to the agreement that resolved a strike last year .
The trade union Siptu has argued that the previous pay differential has been reduced by more than €1,500 .
The Labour Court recommendation which ended the dispute in early 2019 provided for the establishment of a new enhanced grade with higher pay scales to which staff nurses could move under various criteria .
The deal also extended the payment of allowances to additional cohorts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a new expert review group on nursing established by the Government in the summer , Siptu maintained that “ the inequity for promoted grades within the nursing and midwifery workforce are now further highlighted given the implementation of recent Labour Court recommendations , the introduction of the new roles and the expansion of access to allowances for some ” .
“ Siptu members within the promoted nursing grades have identified an erosion in the value of the differential when their salaries are compared with the new enhanced nurse/senior staff nurse grades.
” It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the value of the differential prior to the new scales from the Labour Court in 2019 which ended the strike .
“ The value of the loss of differential at the top of the scale is on average €1,526.
” Siptu also maintained that the Labour Court agreement provided for an increase in the incremental value in pay between those staff nurses who were on the traditional scales and those who moved to the new enhanced grades .
Siptu also argued that there was no longer any valid reason for pay difference between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and social care professional grades “ given the emergence of an academic qualification within nursing and midwifery and the expectation of postgraduate qualifications in career development ” .

The Labour Court recommendation which ended the dispute in early 2019 provided for the establishment of a new enhanced grade with higher pay scales to which staff nurses could move under various criteria. Photograph: iStock
Nurses in more senior grades are pressing for higher pay to restore the difference between their salaries and those in lower level posts that existed prior to the agreement that resolved a strike last year.
The trade union Siptu has argued that the previous pay differential has been reduced by more than €1,500 .
The Labour Court recommendation which ended the dispute in early 2019 provided for the establishment of a new enhanced grade with higher pay scales to which staff nurses could move under various criteria. The deal also extended the payment of allowances to additional cohorts of nurses.
In a submission to a new expert review group on nursing established by the Government in the summer, Siptu maintained that “the inequity for promoted grades within the nursing and midwifery workforce are now further highlighted given the implementation of recent Labour Court recommendations, the introduction of the new roles and the expansion of access to allowances for some”.
READ MORE
“Siptu members within the promoted nursing grades have identified an erosion in the value of the differential when their salaries are compared with the new enhanced nurse/senior staff nurse grades.”
It said members were seeking a restoration of the value of the differential prior to the new scales from the Labour Court in 2019 which ended the strike.
“The value of the loss of differential at the top of the scale is on average €1,526.”
Siptu also maintained that the Labour Court agreement provided for an increase in the incremental value in pay between those staff nurses who were on the traditional scales and those who moved to the new enhanced grades.
Siptu also argued that there was no longer any valid reason for pay difference between nurses and midwives and those in health and social care professional grades “given the emergence of an academic qualification within nursing and midwifery and the expectation of postgraduate qualifications in career development”.


theirishtimes--2020-10-12--Covid-19: Government plays down prospect of short, sharp lockdown

Regional restrictions rather than a short , strict national lockdown may be the next step taken by the Government if action is needed to halt sharply rising Covid-19 case numbers .
Taoiseach Micheál Martin yesterday urged the public to change their behaviours so “ we can make Level 3 work , protect lives and livelihoods ” and stop Covid-19 spreading .
He said there was “ some evidence ” Level 3 had an influence for the better in Dublin and across the country it can also “ have an impact ” .
Senior Government figures stressed there were no immediate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a “ circuit breaker ” , despite the deteriorating coronavirus metrics over the weekend .
Mr Martin also questioned the workability of the measure .
“ The idea of just locking things down for two weeks and being able to come back as normal , I ’ m not sure that ’ s a runner , ” he said .
It is anticipated that if increased Covid-19 restrictions are introduced they may first be limited to counties with higher rates of the disease , such as Donegal .
“ There is every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regional , ” one Government source said .
Public health officials are to closely monitor the impact of the nationwide move to Level 3 of the Government ’ s phased Covid-19 plan has had , with the first indicators of whether the measures are stabilising the situation to be seen by the end of the week .
The whole State joined Dublin and Donegal on Level 3 restrictions for three weeks from last Tuesday .
There is some encouragement that the rate of new cases in the capital is slowing after three weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ source said .
Speculation around possible further measures comes after 814 new cases and two coronavirus-related deaths were confirmed by the National Public Health Emergency Team ( Nphet ) on Sunday .
Of the additional cases , 226 were located in Dublin , 77 in Cork , 64 in Galway , 56 in Donegal , and 48 in Meath , with the remainder spread across the country .
This follows 1,012 new cases reported on Saturday , the highest daily total since the height of the pandemic in mid-April .
The State ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said the figures from recent days pointed towards “ rapidly increasing growth rates across the country ” .
He reiterated it was vital that people limited their social contacts to an “ absolute minimum , ” and followed the other public health guidelines .
On Saturday he said he was very worried about the numbers and how quickly they are deteriorating .
Senior Health Service Executive officials are to meet on Monday to discuss the pressure on the hospital system and intensive care units across the country .
There were 39 hospital intensive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and 30 patients in ICU with Covid-19 – a key metric watched by Nphet .
There were also 204 Covid-19 positive patients in hospital , a figure that has been steadily increasing in recent weeks .
The Government also played down another possible measure on Sunday as Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly confirmed the school midterm break “ is not going to be extended ” , yesterday .
“ We have emerging and mounting evidence of the educational cost ” to children of school closures , he said .
“ We need to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ keeping children in school is a priority for the Government ” , Mr Donnelly said during an interview on RTÉ Radio .
The Minister was reacting to reports on Friday that the midterm break in schools may be extended in October .
Meanwhile , in Northern Ireland the Executive is to meet on Monday and will consider the need for further restrictions after almost 2,000 new cases of coronavirus were identified over the weekend .
A further 1,066 cases were reported by the North ’ s Department of Health on Sunday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scientists , who include those involved in testing for Covid-19 , have warned that there is an increasing mood for industrial action over pay issues .
The chairman of the Medical Laboratory Scientists Association ( MLSA ) Kevin O ’ Boyle said there was “ palpable anger and unrest in laboratories all across the country and the likelihood of industrial action is growing ” .

Suffolk Street in central Dublin: the rate of new cases in the capital is slowing after three weeks of Level 3 restrictions. Photograph: Gareth Chaney/Collins Photos
Regional restrictions rather than a short, strict national lockdown may be the next step taken by the Government if action is needed to halt sharply rising Covid-19 case numbers.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin yesterday urged the public to change their behaviours so “we can make Level 3 work, protect lives and livelihoods” and stop Covid-19 spreading.
He said there was “some evidence” Level 3 had an influence for the better in Dublin and across the country it can also “have an impact”.
Hospital Report
Senior Government figures stressed there were no immediate plans for a short lockdown, known as a “circuit breaker”, despite the deteriorating coronavirus metrics over the weekend.
READ MORE
Mr Martin also questioned the workability of the measure. “The idea of just locking things down for two weeks and being able to come back as normal, I’m not sure that’s a runner,” he said.
It is anticipated that if increased Covid-19 restrictions are introduced they may first be limited to counties with higher rates of the disease, such as Donegal. "There is every possibility that the next step will be regional," one Government source said.
Public health officials are to closely monitor the impact of the nationwide move to Level 3 of the Government’s phased Covid-19 plan has had, with the first indicators of whether the measures are stabilising the situation to be seen by the end of the week. The whole State joined Dublin and Donegal on Level 3 restrictions for three weeks from last Tuesday.
There is some encouragement that the rate of new cases in the capital is slowing after three weeks of Level 3 restrictions, another Government source said.
Coronavirus-related deaths
Speculation around possible further measures comes after 814 new cases and two coronavirus-related deaths were confirmed by the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) on Sunday.
Of the additional cases, 226 were located in Dublin, 77 in Cork, 64 in Galway, 56 in Donegal, and 48 in Meath, with the remainder spread across the country.
This follows 1,012 new cases reported on Saturday, the highest daily total since the height of the pandemic in mid-April.
The State’s chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said the figures from recent days pointed towards “rapidly increasing growth rates across the country”.
He reiterated it was vital that people limited their social contacts to an “absolute minimum,” and followed the other public health guidelines. On Saturday he said he was very worried about the numbers and how quickly they are deteriorating.
Senior Health Service Executive officials are to meet on Monday to discuss the pressure on the hospital system and intensive care units across the country.
There were 39 hospital intensive care beds vacant at the weekend, and 30 patients in ICU with Covid-19 – a key metric watched by Nphet. There were also 204 Covid-19 positive patients in hospital, a figure that has been steadily increasing in recent weeks.
Midterm break
The Government also played down another possible measure on Sunday as Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly confirmed the school midterm break “is not going to be extended”, yesterday.
“We have emerging and mounting evidence of the educational cost” to children of school closures, he said.
“We need to keep children in schools,” and “keeping children in school is a priority for the Government”, Mr Donnelly said during an interview on RTÉ Radio.
The Minister was reacting to reports on Friday that the midterm break in schools may be extended in October .
Meanwhile, in Northern Ireland the Executive is to meet on Monday and will consider the need for further restrictions after almost 2,000 new cases of coronavirus were identified over the weekend.
A further 1,066 cases were reported by the North’s Department of Health on Sunday, and 902 on Saturday.
Elsewhere medical scientists, who include those involved in testing for Covid-19, have warned that there is an increasing mood for industrial action over pay issues.
The chairman of the Medical Laboratory Scientists Association (MLSA) Kevin O’Boyle said there was “palpable anger and unrest in laboratories all across the country and the likelihood of industrial action is growing”.


theirishtimes--2020-10-12--Violent clashes at anti-lockdown protest in Dublin condemned

There has been widespread condemnation of the violent clashes between protesters and counter-protesters at a weekend anti-lockdown demonstration in Dublin city centre .
The confrontation between protesting anti-lockdown groups , including the right-wing National Party , and a group of counter-protesters , some of whom described themselves on social media as communists , took place over two hours on Saturday afternoon in the Kildare Street Molesworth Street area .
Gardaí struggled at times to contain violent exchanges between both sides , although up to 100 members of the force were involved in the operation .
Dozens of people on both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , bolts , fireworks and other projectiles were launched .
Nearby gardaí on bicycles quickly dismounted , drew their batons and rushed in to break up the violence .
Other members of the force jumped over cordons and began to form a line between the two groups .
As gardaí began to get the situation under control , steel barriers were erected to keep both sides apart .
At several points , members of the group of counter-protesters , with their entire faces covered , approached members of the media and demanded to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the gardaí intervened on at least two occasions to stop these interventions turning violent .
“ You can ’ t go back up there , ” said one garda .
“ They have you marked .
I wouldn ’ t be able to pull you out.
” In response to the incident , a spokesperson for the Department of Justice said “ violence , threatening behaviour and intimidation clearly have no place in a peaceful protest and any such incidents will be investigated by An Garda Síochána ” .
Lord Mayor of Dublin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and make streets unsafe should not continue unchecked .
“ I would never be one to tell people not to protest , people have a right to be heard , but a lot of traders and the public are telling me they don ’ t feel safe in the city.
” “ We are asking people to restrict their movements , to adhere to social distancing and then they see things like this .
I think we have to make sure people who are protesting also adhere to these measures , ” she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were involved in counter protests needed to ensure they weren ’ t drawn into physical altercations with the anti-lockdown protesters .
The chairman of Dublin city ’ s Joint Policing Committee , Sinn Féin councillor Daithí de Róiste said he was “ greatly concerned ” by the scenes .
“ Everybody respects people ’ s right to protest , but we need to have peaceful protests , people need to be respectful of each other ... where is people ’ s esprit de corps , that sense of looking out for other people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ particularly hard on city businesses , already seeing footfall sharply down due to the pandemic , Mr de Róiste said .
Social Democrats joint leader Catherine Murphy said that “ very few people will thank them for what they ’ re doing in a pandemic ” .
She added that the violence happened on a day when the numbers of Covid-19 cases were particularly high .
Gardaí arrested two men and one was charged on Sunday and will appear in court next month , while the other man was released without charge .

Groups of protesters and counter-protesters clashed in Dublin on Saturday at an anti-lockdown demonstration. Photograph: Paul Faith/ AFP
There has been widespread condemnation of the violent clashes between protesters and counter-protesters at a weekend anti-lockdown demonstration in Dublin city centre.
The confrontation between protesting anti-lockdown groups, including the right-wing National Party, and a group of counter-protesters, some of whom described themselves on social media as communists, took place over two hours on Saturday afternoon in the Kildare Street Molesworth Street area.
Gardaí struggled at times to contain violent exchanges between both sides, although up to 100 members of the force were involved in the operation.
Dozens of people on both sides threw punches and kicks while nuts, bolts, fireworks and other projectiles were launched. Nearby gardaí on bicycles quickly dismounted, drew their batons and rushed in to break up the violence.
READ MORE
Other members of the force jumped over cordons and began to form a line between the two groups. As gardaí began to get the situation under control, steel barriers were erected to keep both sides apart.
At several points, members of the group of counter-protesters, with their entire faces covered, approached members of the media and demanded to see credentials and identification.
Members of the gardaí intervened on at least two occasions to stop these interventions turning violent. “You can’t go back up there,” said one garda. “They have you marked. I wouldn’t be able to pull you out.”
In response to the incident, a spokesperson for the Department of Justice said “violence, threatening behaviour and intimidation clearly have no place in a peaceful protest and any such incidents will be investigated by An Garda Síochána”.
‘Greatly concerned’
Lord Mayor of Dublin Hazel Chu said protests which spread disinformation and make streets unsafe should not continue unchecked.
“I would never be one to tell people not to protest, people have a right to be heard, but a lot of traders and the public are telling me they don’t feel safe in the city.”
“We are asking people to restrict their movements, to adhere to social distancing and then they see things like this. I think we have to make sure people who are protesting also adhere to these measures,” she said.
Ms Chu said those who were involved in counter protests needed to ensure they weren’t drawn into physical altercations with the anti-lockdown protesters.
The chairman of Dublin city's Joint Policing Committee, Sinn Féin councillor Daithí de Róiste said he was "greatly concerned" by the scenes.
“Everybody respects people’s right to protest, but we need to have peaceful protests, people need to be respectful of each other... where is people’s esprit de corps, that sense of looking out for other people in society?”
The incident was particularly hard on city businesses, already seeing footfall sharply down due to the pandemic, Mr de Róiste said.
Social Democrats joint leader Catherine Murphy said that “very few people will thank them for what they’re doing in a pandemic”. She added that the violence happened on a day when the numbers of Covid-19 cases were particularly high.
Gardaí arrested two men and one was charged on Sunday and will appear in court next month, while the other man was released without charge.


theirishtimes--2020-10-12--HSE considered calling in Army and Red Cross to nursing home Covid-19 outbreak

The HSE considered calling in the Army and Red Cross to a Co Louth nursing home during one of the State ’ s worst coronavirus outbreaks at the peak of the pandemic , records show .
Newly released internal documents reveal the depth of the crisis at the privately run Dealgan House Nursing Home in Dundalk , Co Louth in April as it battled a coronavirus outbreak that led to the deaths of 22 residents .
In the days after the home appealed to then minister for health Simon Harris and chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan for help , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to clean the home and provide fluids to 71 residents who were dehydrated due to staff shortages .
A note of a teleconference call on April 13th on the home ’ s outbreak states that HSE staff along with local doctors , consultants and hospital management discussed “ exploring the sourcing of support staff from the Red Cross and the Defence Forces but there are issues surrounding this ” .
Patricia Whelehan , a HSE manager for older persons , emailed the HSE ’ s head of social care services , Mairead Lyons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ night saying that Dealgan House has “ serious staffing issues for nursing , carers and cleaners , and is struggling to provide basic care ” .
She said the facility was unable to carry out the cleaning required for infection prevention and control and external cleaning contractors were unwilling to enter coronavirus-positive units .
The facility ’ s staff of 104 had been reduced to 34 and the home had a shortage of bins , hand gel and thermometer ear covers , which meant temperatures could only be taken once a day .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ request Army support who could be trained on infection prevention and control , while Army medics “ could provide fluids ” .
She said Dealgan House had earlier reported an urgent requirement for relief staff as the situation “ remains critical with 71 residents completely dehydrated due to staff shortages ” .
By April 13th , six residents had died , six had been transferred to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda and one had gone home .
Among the remaining 71 residents , there were 19 suspected cases of the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and six new referrals for testing .
These 19 suspected cases “ present no hope of a good outcome as indeed for the remainder of the residents if they are dehydrated ” , the nursing home reported to the HSE manager .
“ The first person in the isolated , dementia unit has today shown symptoms .
No area is free .
Carers are urgently needed to care for the residents .
Basic hygiene is not enough today.
” Fintan Farrelly , a director of Dealgan House and father of one of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emailed the HSE on April 14th to say he was “ very disturbed ” to hear paramedics refused to take two residents to hospital because they felt they did not merit hospitalisation when a nurse felt they would benefit ” .
“ It seems that elderly people are being denied a fighting chance of surviving the virus .
.
.
It is grossly unfair and wrong , ” he said .
On April 14th an urgent teleconference call was held with Dealgan House management , HSE officials and doctors after the HSE was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had only one junior nurse on duty that night and “ she is not happy taking responsibility for 69 people and 15 residents who are suspected Covid along with the other frail and vulnerable residents ” .
On April 17th , the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland hospital group took over the running of the home to ensure safe staffing levels and ran it until May when the outbreak ended .
A spokesman for Dealgan House said on Friday it has not had a resident test positive for the virus since April @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or RCSI involvement since May .
Fine Gael TD for Louth Fergus O ’ Dowd said that he was “ absolutely shocked and horrified ” at what he read of what had occurred .
“ We need an inquiry into this so it never happens again , ” said Mr O ’ Dowd , a member of the Oireachtas Covid-19 committee which has recommended an inquiry into nursing home deaths .

Newly released internal documents reveal the depth of the crisis at the privately run Dealgan House Nursing Home in Dundalk, Co Louth, in April as it battled a coronavirus outbreak that led to the deaths of 22 residents. Photograph: Getty Images
The HSE considered calling in the Army and Red Cross to a Co Louth nursing home during one of the State's worst coronavirus outbreaks at the peak of the pandemic, records show.
Newly released internal documents reveal the depth of the crisis at the privately run Dealgan House Nursing Home in Dundalk, Co Louth in April as it battled a coronavirus outbreak that led to the deaths of 22 residents.
In the days after the home appealed to then minister for health Simon Harris and chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan for help, HSE managers contemplated calling in the Army to clean the home and provide fluids to 71 residents who were dehydrated due to staff shortages.
Hospital Report
A note of a teleconference call on April 13th on the home's outbreak states that HSE staff along with local doctors, consultants and hospital management discussed "exploring the sourcing of support staff from the Red Cross and the Defence Forces but there are issues surrounding this".
READ MORE
Struggling
Patricia Whelehan, a HSE manager for older persons, emailed the HSE's head of social care services, Mairead Lyons, and other managers at 9.45pm that night saying that Dealgan House has "serious staffing issues for nursing, carers and cleaners, and is struggling to provide basic care".
She said the facility was unable to carry out the cleaning required for infection prevention and control and external cleaning contractors were unwilling to enter coronavirus-positive units.
The facility’s staff of 104 had been reduced to 34 and the home had a shortage of bins, hand gel and thermometer ear covers, which meant temperatures could only be taken once a day.
The email proposes “escalation” to request Army support who could be trained on infection prevention and control, while Army medics “could provide fluids”.
She said Dealgan House had earlier reported an urgent requirement for relief staff as the situation “remains critical with 71 residents completely dehydrated due to staff shortages”.
By April 13th, six residents had died, six had been transferred to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda and one had gone home. Among the remaining 71 residents, there were 19 suspected cases of the virus with five testing positive, eight swabbed and six new referrals for testing.
These 19 suspected cases “present no hope of a good outcome as indeed for the remainder of the residents if they are dehydrated”, the nursing home reported to the HSE manager.
“The first person in the isolated, dementia unit has today shown symptoms. No area is free. Carers are urgently needed to care for the residents. Basic hygiene is not enough today.”
Fintan Farrelly, a director of Dealgan House and father of one of the home's owners Eoin Farrelly, emailed the HSE on April 14th to say he was "very disturbed" to hear paramedics refused to take two residents to hospital because they felt they did not merit hospitalisation when a nurse felt they would benefit".
Vulnerable residents
“It seems that elderly people are being denied a fighting chance of surviving the virus . . . It is grossly unfair and wrong,” he said.
On April 14th an urgent teleconference call was held with Dealgan House management, HSE officials and doctors after the HSE was told at 5.30pm that day the home had only one junior nurse on duty that night and “she is not happy taking responsibility for 69 people and 15 residents who are suspected Covid along with the other frail and vulnerable residents”.
On April 17th, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland hospital group took over the running of the home to ensure safe staffing levels and ran it until May when the outbreak ended.
A spokesman for Dealgan House said on Friday it has not had a resident test positive for the virus since April 22nd and there has been no HSE or RCSI involvement since May.
Fine Gael TD for Louth Fergus O'Dowd said that he was "absolutely shocked and horrified" at what he read of what had occurred.
"We need an inquiry into this so it never happens again," said Mr O'Dowd, a member of the Oireachtas Covid-19 committee which has recommended an inquiry into nursing home deaths.