Coronavirus: 'Not enough done' to protect critically ill nurse

Collette McAfee came out of retirement to help during the pandemic

The daughter of a nurse fighting for her life after contracting Covid-19 says she does not believe enough was done to protect her mother.

Collette McAfee, 64, came out of retirement to help during the pandemic and worked several 12-hour shifts in Clifton Nursing Home in north Belfast.

It is not clear where she contracted the virus.

Runwood Homes, which ran the home, said it could not comment further on her circumstances of work.

The Belfast Trust said it was continuing to support the family.

There have been at least nine Covid-19 related deaths of residents at Clifton, a 100-bed facility operated by Runwood Homes.

This week, Ms McAfee's daughter Emma Louise Aiken, 38, met Health Minister Robin Swann privately and Chief Nursing Officer Charlotte McArdle at Stormont.

Afterwards, she told the BBC: "My mum came out of retirement to help and now she is fighting for her life. I just want answers.

"I am really grateful for the minister's time. He seemed open and clear with his answers and offered if any help could be given."

Ms McAfee worked shifts at Clifton Nursing Home

Ms McAfee, a great grandmother who retired as a nursing sister two years ago, was among dozens of nurses deployed into care homes by health trusts to help during the height of the coronavirus outbreak last month.

According to her daughter, she worked two full shifts at the home on 8 and 9 May. A third shift on 12 May was cut short after she felt unwell.

On 14 May, Ms McAfee was tested for coronavirus and a day later received a positive result.

Her condition deteriorated rapidly and she is currently being treated on a ventilator in the ICU at the Mater Hospital.

Her family have been unable to visit.

Ms Aiken told the BBC she wants answers on issues including the level and frequency of testing for residents and staff and the use and availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) at Clifton Nursing Home.

Ms Aiken added: "I am in no way taking away the fact they need to care for residents, I just expect the same for employees.

"I'm sure after all the years as a nurse and training my mum knew how to use PPE.

"I had promised my mum she was not going to die and that she would get home again. I made those promises and I think it's only right that I speak up for her now.

"How bad was the environment my mummy was working in?"

Clifton Nursing Home has been taken over by another provider Healthcare Ireland, following an intervention by Department of Health. It came after the home failed a number of inspections by the regulatory body, the RQIA, on governance, management and leadership.

On Wednesday, it was revealed that the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust is to initiate a Serious Adverse Incident Review (SAI) into Clifton.

In a statement, the health minister has pledged to help the family.

"This is a very distressing situation and my thoughts are with this lady and her family," said Robin Swann.

"She raised a number of important questions and I have undertaken to respond to her directly within the next week.

"I fully understand that the family wants answers and I will do everything I can to ensure that they get them."

The Belfast Trust said: "We fully understand and appreciate how difficult this situation is for Ms McAfee and her family.

"We continue to offer our support to her family at this difficult time.

"The Belfast Trust Care Home and Nursing Support Team provided staffing support to a number of care homes, including Clifton Nursing Home.

"We are grateful to our staff who agreed to provide this support and did so in these difficult times and we appreciate the impact this will have had on their families."

The trust said all staff reporting symptoms were tested for Covid-19 in line with the Regional Interim Protocol.

It said that from early March a "seven-day week single point of contact" was set up for care homes to access PPE equipment and advice, specialist clinical guidance and staff deployment as part of the mutual aid strategy for care homes.

The statement added that as of 1 June "25,525 masks, 17, 820 visors, 28,100 aprons, and 47,400 gloves were being provided to Clifton from trust PPE stocks".

It added: "We also provided 321.5 hours of registered nursing support and 779.5 hours of health care assistant support. We also provided additional staff to perform cleaning duties from 8th May with 242 hours of support provided to date."

Robin Swann said he would help the family

Meanwhile, Runwood Homes has wished Ms McAfee a "full and fast recovery", adding: "We can only comment on our own staff".

"The home follows Public Health Agency guidelines and staff have continued to have access to an overstock of PPE, supplied by the trust as well as privately sourced, to help best protect everyone in the home.

"Please be advised that testing is not controlled by Clifton Nursing Home. The testing regime is coordinated by the Belfast HSC Trust who have full responsibility for the testing and re-testing of residents for Covid-19."

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