Coronavirus: Ireland's call for healthcare help

Thousands of people have responded to the calls for help through the COVID-19 crisis. The Health Service Executive (HSE), Nursing Homes Ireland (NHI) and charities have appealed to people to play their part throughout the crisis.

Minister for Health Simon Harris said that within 24 hours of launching the HSE’s call for help, over 24,000 people responded. The HSE is working to create extra hospital beds to meet the predicted surge in demand as a result of COVID-19 and needs extra hands to provide care not just now but in the coming weeks and months.

“Hopefully we won’t need to call, and if we do, we may not need every one of you. But knowing you are there if we do will make all the difference,” a statement from the HSE reads.

The HSE is particularly interested in hearing from healthcare professionals from all disciplines who are not already working in the public health service. If you are not a healthcare professionals but you have other skills to offer, the HSE has also asked for you to register your interest. This can be done on the HSE website.

“We will contact you if your skillset, availability and geographic preference match with the emerging needs of the health service. This means we are responding to needs as, where and when they arise.”

Most of the HSE contracts are likely to be three-month temporary contracts, which may be extended where needed. Those hired will be paid in line with the normal HSE salary pay scale and at the moment it is not envisaged that volunteers will be paid.

Nursing homes

NHI, the representative body for nursing homes, launched a recruitment drive on St Patrick’s Day. Disciplines that will be needed include physios, healthcare assistants, catering, activities and admin support. Short-, medium- and long-term contracts can be offered by nursing homes, as well as flexible working arrangements.

“A nursing home has to meet all the care needs of people who require specialised and highly dependent services on a round-the-clock basis. Nursing homes are preparing as best they can to meet the unprecedented challenges that will face them in the coming weeks and possibly months,” NHI CEO Tadhg Daly said, adding that the response so far has been really positive.

We do have the technology now to keep in touch via things like Skype and Facetime

“It is a very fulfilling career to work with older people. It’s a community all of its own. Each individual nursing home will recruit locally but we have a portal on our website that will help to create a database of people available and their skillset.”

To register your interest you can find the portal on www.nhi.ie.

Tadhg says he knows that restrictions on visiting in nursing homes is challenging for families but is really important at this time.

“We do have the technology now to keep in touch via things like Skype and Facetime. Don’t lose contact with your family. Talk to the nursing home staff, people can be assured that the staff are keeping spirits up among the nursing home community.”

Vulnerable

Similarly, charities for some of society’s most vulnerable people are looking for people to register their interest in helping. Additional people will be needed to keep some essential services open for homeless, people with disabilities and others in residential and care settings. The job roles will be largely similar to that in the nursing home sector. Visit www.crisiscover.ie for more information.

Teresa Roche is a cheesemaker and dairy farmer near Abbey, Co Galway. She is also the Galway representative on the IFA farm families and social affairs committee and trained as a nurse in the UK. She has registered her interest with the HSE to help.

“I trained [as a nurse] in the UK, under the UK system and worked abroad. Since my return I haven’t worked in Ireland. On the HSE application form we had to fill in basic info; name, address, PPS number, what type of nursing I am and dual-nursing skillset. You pick your preference and then the four counties you would prefer to work in. Then the final question is your date of birth which I imagine they are using to risk-assess you.

“Then you do a phone interview, show them your accreditation and tell them what date you are available to start.

My cheese business lost most customers overnight

“They are looking for healthcare support volunteers, everyone would have a role and get an induction. So if you are out of practise for a few years, you would be introduced to the system with an induction and provide you with the necessary support.

“My cheese business lost most customers overnight. I do direct distribution to hotels and restaurants. Unfortunately, until this virus is gone I’m not going to have customers. I’ve been lucky in that the cheese I do make matures over long periods. So I’m going to have to hold off my production and sell little pieces where I can.

“[Despite all the job losses across the businesses that have had to close] the good thing is in the hospitality sector they have good communication skills and hygiene practises that can help.

“We have two-thirds of the cows calved and they are grazing outdoors by day. My parents and brother are all involved in the farm.

My friends who are nurses in other countries are telling me that it is high-risk work and it is a desperate situation

“We are still busy, but I thought when the country needs people, we help where we can. My preference would be to stay within my county or the border counties. I’ll give the HSE what I can depending on how the pandemic works.

“My friends who are nurses in other countries are telling me that it is high-risk work and it is a desperate situation we will face across the whole world. From large hospitals to small hospitals there is a crisis.

“If anybody does have a skillset that is necessary for the HSE and are not at risk, or have people living with them at risk, they should fill out the application form.”

Brid Cronin is a master’s student in University College Cork (UCC) and comes from a dairy farm in Freemount, Co Cork. Since her lectures were cancelled, she moved home from the city to help on the farm. She responded to the HSE’s call for help.

“I graduated with a BSc in public health and am now doing a two-year master’s in diagnostic radiography in UCC. I am scheduled to graduate in October but our classes are currently cancelled.

“Next month was meant to be our final exams and time to write our dissertation. Then June, July and August were meant to be work experience. We can’t really do our research because we can’t go into hospitals to gather data.

I responded to the recruitment call by filling out the online form on the HSE website

“So I’m at home on the farm in Freemount with my parents. My sister is in Killarney self-isolating at the moment as she had a few symptoms. We have 25 to 30 cows left to calve.

“I responded to the recruitment call by filling out the online form on the HSE website. I have spent six years studying healthcare and you never think something like this is going to happen. If you do have the expertise what’s the point in not helping. I haven’t spent that length of time in university to make myself busy on the farm during the emergency.

The HSE may not even need me. I guess they will recruit people where needed

“We got to pick what part of the country you could work in. I don’t want to be out with at-risk people and then coming home, so I haven’t volunteered to help in my local area. It can have a devastating impact on a farm if you are out of work, the cows don’t wait for you to get better.

“The HSE may not even need me. I guess they will recruit people where needed. We would have done a lot of epidemiology and contact tracing in the public healthcare degree. Pandemics would also have been covered. I went off to do my master’s because I couldn’t find a job when I graduated, I didn’t think I’d have a use for that side of my degree.

“Realistically the healthcare people working now are going to get sick and they need a constant flow of people to step in. I might not be put into an area that I am familiar with but at least I’ll be able to help.

“The more I talk to people the more I realise people are really willing to help. There’s a lot of community spirit which is good to see.”