Subject: Ensuring the protection of the health and lives of elderly people in care facilities in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic
Elderly people, and those residing in care facilities in particular, accounted for around half of all COVID-19 fatalities in some Member States.
Older people are particularly at risk because of their age, but also because of underlying diseases. The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the problems faced by this population group, but it has also revealed the inadequacy of the actions taken by some Member States with a view to protecting the health and safety of elderly people in care facilities. Very often, despite the obvious danger facing this at-risk group, these facilities do not have adequate personal protective equipment, such as professional masks or overalls, nor do they have testing kits.
According to the Commission Communication of 15 July 2020 on short-term EU health preparedness for COVID-19 outbreaks, the provision of personal protective equipment, medicines and medical devices is planned for the coming months.
1. Will the actions that the Commission is planning also aim to ensure that care facilities for the elderly will be provided with adequate protective equipment over the coming weeks and months?
2. In addition to the exchange of best practices in support of COVID-19 prevention, testing and care for COVID-19 patients belonging to particularly vulnerable groups, is the Commission planning any other actions to protect the health and lives of elderly people?
Answer given by Ms Kyriakides on behalf of the European Commission
(16 October 2020)
The Commission is aware of the particularly high risk for older persons in long-term care facilities due to COVID-19 and, in its communication on Short-term EU health preparedness for COVID-19 outbreaks (1), points out the importance of sufficient supply of protective equipment and regular testing of workers of long-term care facilities and of vulnerable groups.
1. The responsibility for long-term care facilities, including the supply of protective equipment, lies with Member States. In the context of COVID-19, the Commission has launched accelerated joint procurement procedures to facilitate Member States’ access to e.g. personal protective equipment. Member States have been able to place orders since April 2020.
2. To help Member States protect older persons and other vulnerable groups in the context of COVID-19, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has issued guidance for surveillance of this disease at long-term care facilitie s (2). In follow-up to the European Pillar of Social Rights (3), the Commission works with Member States (4) on the main horizontal challenges for long- term care systems. The Commission and the Social Protection Committee are also investigating the impacts of the crisis on long-term care systems including on residential care and the corresponding policy responses. With the Green Paper on Ageing in 2021, the Commission will launch a wide debate on long-term impacts of ageing, notably on care.
⋅1∙ https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52020DC0318
⋅2∙ https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/surveillance-COVID-19-long-term-care-facilities-EU-EEA
⋅3∙ The principle 18 states ‘the right to affordable long-term care services of good quality, in particular home-care and community-based services’ for everyone.
⋅4∙ In the framework of the social Open Method of Coordination.