Staffing levels at a nursing home in White's Cross, which experienced a severe outbreak of Covid-19 this January, were sufficient, according to the Health Information and Quality Authority.
The Covid outbreak resulted in the deaths of 19 of the residents at CareChoice Ballynoe, over a three week period.
The HIQA report following an unannounced inspection, after the outbreak, found that staffing levels at the home were sufficient to meet the needs of those living there.
However, it also found that there were issues regarding communication with the families of residents.
At the time of the inspection, all five of the nurses on duty and all ten of the healthcare assistants were either agency staff or co-opted in from other CareChoice homes, as the majority of the usual staff were self-isolating.
The report says that the person-in-charge attributed these communication difficulties to locum staff not personally knowing the residents or their families.
They also said staff were not always available to answer the phone when the receptionist was not present.
By the time of a follow-up inspection in April, HIQA found that the Ballynoe facility was no longer reliant on external staffing.
