It comes ahead of the publication of a report by the Covid-19 Nursing Home Expert Panel today.
The group will make a number of recommendations to the Health Minister to ensure all precautions against the spread of the virus in nursing homes are taken.
The purpose of the panel is to examine the national and international responses to the COVID-19 crisis, as well as emerging best practice.
Owner of Oaklodge Nursing Home Diarmuid O’Dalaigh thinks nursing homes should become care villages:
"Last year we applied for planning permission for a care village and that would be a series of little households so some people would have their own little area of independence.
"They would be sharing within a small environment but it would be ideal for infection prevention and control."
Not only is Covid-19 a concern for nursing homes, the seasonal flu which usually starts during the winter months is also a major issue.
Healthcare planning
The last time the panel met was back in June, when the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) said the Covid-19 pandemic laid bare the absence of planning for healthcare provision in nursing homes.
They called for a new approach to manage care for older people in nursing homes, as well as urgent preparatory planning to prevent seasonal influenza outbreaks in such facilities.
The IMO said the pandemic highlighted the need for a new, more collaborative system of care for older people supported by “adequate resources, suitable policies and governance structures”.
The expert panel is asked to make recommendations to the Minister for Health, to ensure that all protective COVID-19 response measures are planned for, in light of the expected ongoing COVID-19 risk and impact for nursing homes over the next six to 18 months.
