Mullooly brings Care Champions’ fight for Covid truth to the heart of Europe

MEP says families who lost loved ones during Covid deserve answers, accountability and a full public inquiry

MEP Ciaran Mullooly has brought Care Champions Ireland’s fight for truth, dignity and accountability to the floor of the European Parliament, calling for a proper public inquiry into the treatment of vulnerable adults during the Covid pandemic. Care Champions is an independent, family-led Irish advocacy organisation representing and supporting families, residents, older people and vulnerable adults affected by care failures, particularly in nursing homes, residential care and community care settings. The group has been one of the strongest voices in Ireland calling for accountability, stronger adult safeguarding protections and a statutory public inquiry into what happened to older and vulnerable people during the pandemic.

Addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Mr Mullooly said:

“The COVID pandemic is over, but the scars remain. This week I met with Care Champions, an independent Irish advocacy organisation representing people who were affected both in the community and in care homes,” Mr Mullooly said.

He said the testimony he heard from families showed the human cost of decisions taken during the pandemic. “I met Angela Moore, who lost both her parents within 13 weeks of each other. The staff who were looking after them could no longer enter her house because of a public health policy.” He also raised the case of Anne Gallagher, who was trying to visit her husband Brendan in a nursing home. “Anne Gallagher tried to book a visit to see her husband in a nursing home on 19 December, but was not allowed. Her husband, Brendan, passed away later that day,” he said.

Mr Mullooly said another family had raised serious concerns about how age and dementia were considered in decisions around access to intensive care. “Majella Beattie’s mother, Mary Jane, was told that if she deteriorated, she could not be accommodated in ICU due to her age and dementia,” he said. “These are real people, real relatives, real families, people who are entitled to the truth. They’re entitled to their day. We need a proper public inquiry, and we need it for one reason: so that we can investigate the proper safeguarding of vulnerable adults in our society.”

Speaking after his intervention, Mr Mullooly said the families represented by Care Champions must not be forgotten or reduced to statistics.

“These families are not simply looking back,” he said. “They are asking Ireland to face up to what happened, to examine the decisions that were made, and to ensure that older people, vulnerable adults and their families are never again left without a voice at the most critical moments. Their fight is a fight for truth, dignity and basic accountability. It is also a fight for better protection of vulnerable adults in the future.” Mr Mullooly stressed that the call for a public inquiry is not an attack on the many care home staff, nurses, carers and healthcare workers who worked under extraordinary pressure during the pandemic, often at great personal cost. “This is not about blaming the people who showed up every day in impossible circumstances to care for others,” he said. “It is about examining the policies, decisions and safeguards that shaped what happened to vulnerable adults and their families, and making sure the lessons are learned properly.”

The Irish Government has established an independent, non-statutory Covid-19 Evaluation, to examine Ireland’s handling of the pandemic. The Evaluation has said its final report will be provided by the end of 2026. However, Care Champions and many bereaved families have argued that an evaluation is not enough and that a full statutory public inquiry is needed, with the powers required to compel evidence, examine decision-making and give families confidence that the truth will be fully established. Mr Mullooly said, “Care Champions have given families a voice when many felt they had none,” he said. “They have kept these stories alive, not out of anger alone, but out of a determination that Ireland must learn the right less