As part of the Evaluation’s consultation on long-term residential care facilities, over the month of May 2026 the Evaluation will hold private group listening sessions.

The listening sessions form an important part of the inputs into the Evaluation’s dedicated module examining the response to COVID-19 in long-term residential care facilities for older persons, and are specifically for bereaved families who lost loved ones in these facilities during the pandemic.

These sessions form one element of the Evaluations module on long term care facilities for older persons (LTCF). The Evaluation panel is engaging in wide-ranging research and consultation for this specific module, including;

• Engagement with stakeholders, advocacy organisations and groups.
• Engagement with experts, including through a workshop with researchers and experts, which provided insights and information on the research landscape and progress, in particular regarding work carried out for the 2020 Expert Panel Report and related implementation reports.
• Public consultation survey and personal submissions from those impacted by the response in this sector during the pandemic.
• Specific consultation on the response in long term residential care facilities for older people, across residents, bereaved families, staff and decision makers of long-term residential care facilities, including surveys and personal written submissions.
• Private listening sessions for bereaved relatives.
• Review and analysis of existing reports, outputs and research findings.

Inputs from Individuals

Overall, the Evaluation panel received approximately 1000 written inputs from individuals impacted by the pandemic response in this sector as part of its consultation.

• As part of the public consultation survey and personal submissions, over 400 responses related to long-term residential care were received by the Evaluation panel. Key issues raised included those relating to guidance and infection control, visiting restrictions, level of care, staffing, transfers (between hospitals and nursing homes), residents with dementia, end of life care and deaths.
• Furthermore, as part of the general public consultation, the Evaluation panel provided an opportunity for those impacted by long-term residential care facilities for older persons, in addition to engaging in the general consultation, to register their interest for an additional consultation relating specifically to long-term residential care facilities for older people.

• As part of this specific consultation on the pandemic response in this sector, multiple surveys provided the Evaluation with valuable inputs to further understand perspectives and experiences from those impacted, including relatives and visitors, and those who experienced bereavement.
• Over 600 responses were received, analysis of this data is ongoing and will be published on the COVID-19 Evaluation website shortly.

Inputs from Stakeholder Groups and Experts

As part of this consultation, the Evaluation panel members have met with numerous stakeholders involved in the area of long-term residential care, including with organisations supporting residents and families. These stakeholders have met directly with the Chair of the Evaluation to share their views and experiences. The Chair of the Evaluation has met with organisations including:

• Care Champions
• Sage Advocacy
• Nursing Homes Ireland
• Groups who advocate for patients and
• Related academics and researchers.

Meetings and workshops with academic experts and researchers in the area of long-term residential care, included those who have worked with some of the aforementioned advocacy groups as well as those involved in the 2020 Expert Panel Report and related implementation reports. This includes researchers who have considered peoples lived experiences, visiting restrictions in place during the pandemic, human rights, and optimal care and staffing approaches.  

These engagements, supported by wider written stakeholder submissions, have allowed the Evaluation panel, including Chair Prof Anne Scott, to understand the perspectives of impacted groups. Through these discussions, the Evaluation has developed an awareness and understanding of core issues and concerns, along with collective experiences.

The impact for bereaved families has been a strong area of focus for the Evaluation throughout, and the private listening sessions are an important element of the LTRC consultation.

Private Listening Sessions for Bereaved Relatives

All those who indicated an interest in attending these sessions, and who lost a loved one during the pandemic in a long-term care faciality for older persons, have been invited to do so. These private listening sessions take place in the coming days and weeks in Dublin, Limerick and Galway. The city locations were selected to best facilitate those who responded to the expression of interest invitation.

The sessions are an opportunity for bereaved relatives, in a personal capacity, to share their story and experience in a private group setting directly with the Chair of the Evaluation, Professor Anne Scott.

The Evaluation aims to understand, as deeply as possible, how the pandemic was managed and how people were impacted in order to learn from the pandemic experience, and to inform future decision making and responses during such crises. The sessions are being designed as listening opportunities, without any questioning.  This means sessions are not trying to establish facts like in a legal setting, but rather to listen, understand and document experiences and take learning from it.  Each session is being supported by experienced trauma informed facilitators from an organisation called Quality Matters, who are supporting this element of the work of the Evaluation. These sessions are being approached with sensitivity and compassion, mindful of people’s grief.   An aggregate detailed report drawing from each session will provide an overview account of experiences expressed. In line with the approach to the Evaluation’s other public consultation methods, this report will be published on the Evaluation’s website and will inform the Evaluation’s wider final report.

The final report, and related lessons learned and recommendations, will reflect the wide-ranging inputs and research undertaken across the module on Long Term Residential Care.

Note further information on Evaluation’s Terms of Reference

The Terms of Reference placed a focus on a number of areas, such as the overall performance of the health and social care system, and the wider impacts of the pandemic response on individuals, families and communities. They place a particular focus on examining the response to COVID-19 in long-term residential care facilities for older persons, taking account of the 2020 report of the Expert Panel on Nursing Homes and subsequent related progress, and wider information gathering, including the experience of bereaved families.