HSE and Defence Forces personnel are assisting management at Cahercalla Hospital and Hospice following an outbreak of Covid-19 at the facility.
It has also been confirmed that plans to vaccinate patients and staff at the hospital will take place from tomorrow, several days earlier than originally planned.
While staff at Cahercalla continue to cope with the outbreak and prepare for the vaccination programme there to begin, it’s understood that HSE staff and about a dozen Defence Forces personnel have been drafted into the hospital to help ease pressure on staff and management.
The board of Cahercalla Hospital and Hospice has issued a statement on the situation and which clarifies some of the inaccurate information that had been circulating in recent days particularly on Saturday.
“Unfortunately, there has been an outbreak of Covid-19 infection at Cahercalla Community Hospital and Hospice in Ennis. There are currently 19 Covid cases on site.
We are working closely with HIQA, the HSE dedicated Covid Response Team and other agencies to manage and control this outbreak to ensure continued quality care, safety and welfare of all residents and staff. We appreciate the assistance of members of the defence forces who are on site to give non-medical logistical support in order to allow staff concentrate on their clinical duties and to assist in the setting up of the vaccination areas at Cahercalla.
Vaccination of all Covid negative residents and staff will be rolled out on Monday next January 18th. It was originally scheduled for January 22nd but we are delighted the date has been brought forward.
We appreciate this is a difficult and concerning time for all staff, families, relatives and friends of residents. The Hospital has already informed families of the current situation and again we want to assure them that we are doing all in our power to protect and care for their loved ones.
The management and staff are grateful for the encouragement and support we continue to receive from the families and friends of our residents. We thank them for their patience and support. Protecting their loved ones is our number one priority at Cahercalla,” the statement added.