Coronavirus: Dentists volunteer to work in NI care homes

Two in five coronavirus-related deaths in NI have been linked to care homes, prompting calls for help

Dozens of dentists in Northern Ireland have volunteered to work in care homes, the sector hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, the BBC has learned.

The 76 volunteers agreed to provide support and training to staff about infection prevention after a health and social care workforce appeal.

They may also give guidance on using protective equipment and swabbing symptomatic care home residents.

Some 40% of coronavirus-related deaths in NI have been linked to care homes.

It emerged on Tuesday that 14 residents from the same home in Glengormley had died with Covid-19 related symptoms during the outbreak.

A further 14 coronavirus-related deaths in Northern Ireland were recorded by the health department on Wednesday, bringing its total death toll, mostly comprising hospital fatalities, to 418.

NI's overall figure will be higher when all deaths in the community are recorded: Separate figures from statistics agency Nisra show there had been 393 Covid-19 related deaths by 24 April.

'In the heat of battle'

The Commissioner for Older People has said Covid-19 testing for everyone living and working in Northern Ireland's 484 care homes should be the top health priority.

Eddie Lynch called for urgent help for the sector due to its vulnerability to the virus.

The scale of the pandemic could have been predicted, Mr Lynch told the BBC's Talkback programme, adding: "We're still very much in the heat of battle here."

"There are still steps that can be taken to better protect older people living in the care home community."

More than a fifth of NI care homes - 109 - are now caring for vulnerable older people with coronavirus or flu-like symptoms, which are logged each day in care homes' forms about virus activity, the BBC understands.

The homes have a total of 16,000 beds, not all of which are occupied.

Eddie Lynch says care home residents should be first in line when testing is extended

Mr Lynch has called for a universal programme of testing to be rolled out. Having discussed the issue with Health Minister Robin Swann, he said he understood there would be more testing this week.

Mr Lynch said: "My simple question is - who is the top priority for testing?

"It has to be the most vulnerable in our society and that is people who are living in care homes now.

"The evidence is clear, the statistics that we see come out every Friday are harrowing and show us who are dying more than other group."

Extended testing

Extra funding was being used to tackle the virus in care homes, the health department has said, promising to consider "every possible measure" to ensure staff and residents are safe - including:

• Significantly extending the level of testing in care homes

• Providing large quantities of free protective equipment - about 2.5m items a week - to the independent sector from trusts

• Moving "significant numbers" of health trust staff into care homes

Following an appeal for suitably qualified staff to volunteer for redeployment to support the sector during the pandemic:

• The Belfast Trust said 48 members of staff were providing care in six care homes

• The Northern Trust said 75 shifts had been covered in four homes

• The South Eastern Trust said more than 100 shifts had been covered in eight homes

• The Southern Trust said it had supplied staff to care homes "on occasion"

• The Western Trust said it had not yet deployed any of its staff to homes

Students redeployed

Training was provided to some of the 76 dentist volunteers on Tuesday, with the rest set for training next Monday.

Under the General Dental Services Financial Support Scheme, dentists have agreed to be redeployed during the pandemic where possible, said the Health and Social Care Board.

The board said it could not say how much the scheme would cost as this was dependent on a number of variable factors.

Dentists will be asked to help manage PPE stocks in care homes

In other developments on Wednesday:

• Lifting some lockdown restrictions too early could have severe consequences, NI's finance minister warned

• The number of people claiming universal credit in NI has almost doubled in two months

• Twenty-nine life-saving kidney transplants have been performed in NI over the past two-and-a-half weeks

• Nurseries and childcare providers say they are facing "catastrophic" closures due to the outbreak

• It's been suggested the government's job retention scheme should be extended for airport ground staff to allow the aviation sector more time to recover

• NI hospices will receive £6.75m to support them during the crisis, the finance department said

The scheme is under constant review and dentists have been encouraged to apply for the required funding each month, added the board.

"Each trust is working with their care home providers to further strengthen infection prevention control, which includes nursing, environmental-enhanced cleaning and volunteer dentists," said a statement from the board.

"A range of multi-professional staff have also volunteered to work in the care home sector in a variety of roles including care assistants, and they are reinforcing good infection control messages and practice."

Dentists who are approaching the end of their foundation training year will also be redeployed to community pharmacies from next week, the board added.

The article was amended on May 7 to make clear that qualified dentists who are approaching the end of their foundation training year may be redeployed into community pharmacies, not final year dental students.

• A SIMPLE GUIDE: How do I protect myself?

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• WHAT WE DON'T KNOW How to understand the death toll

• TESTING: Can I get tested for coronavirus?

• LOOK-UP TOOL: Check cases in your area