This is welcome news for residents, their families, staff and owners.
Valerie Moore, the General Manager of Oakdale Nursing Home in Portarlington has confirmed, that following a meeting this morning, arrangements are now in place for the HSE to relocate staff to the home.
A meeting took place involving Mary Dunne, Assistant Director of Nursing in Oakdale and the Director of Nursing from Midlands Regional Hospital in Portlaoise and a representative from the HSE – along with Mrs Moore.
Nurses will now be redeployed from both Portlaoise and Tullamore Hospital.
She said: “I am pleased to confirm that a successful meeting took place in our Nursing Home this morning and nurses are being redeployed from both hospitals in Portlaoise in Tullamore.
“This is a welcome development as it will guarantee the continuation of our standards of care for all our residents and give our own hard working and caring staff an opportunity to have a few days off and recharge batteries.
“It will help re-assure families that their loved ones can remain in Oakdale and be cared for as normal.
“I would like to thank Sandra McCarthy and her colleague Karen Cliffe from the HSE for their help in providing us with nurses. Thanks also to LaoisToday, Midlands Radio 103, RTE and local print media for engaging with us on this serious issue for Oakdale and other Nursing Homes right across the country.
“A special word of thanks to our local GP’S, the consultants in Portlaoise Hospital for their constant advice and guidance and the HSE for Public Health and PPE support.
“Finally, to confirm that our eight residents who tested positive for Covid 19, continue to improve in our Isolation Unit and to thank our wonderful staff for their ongoing efforts.
“Thanks to the many volunteers and well-wishers young and old and the local community in Portarlington and prayer groups for being so supportive to us during these stressful days.”
Speaking on Prime Time last night, Valerie revealed how the home was on the verge of closure due to staffing issues.
While relatives of some of the 49 residents in Oakdale Nursing Home in Portarlington expressed their worry for their loved ones.
Since the pandemic hit, 28 staff are out sick from Oakdale and six of these have tested positive for Coronavirus.
One week on, the home is still down six vital nursing staff with only two available at night, instead of the minimum of four, to assist 49 residents – eight of whom are Covid-19 positive.
