A second wave of Covid-19 in a Monaghan nursing home hit "like a tsunami".
An unannounced inspection of St Mary's Residential Centre in Castleblayney took place two months after an outbreak that saw over 120 people contract the virus, and six residents die.
HIQA inspectors visited in May of this year, eight weeks after the centre recovered from a second Covid outbreak.
In it, more than 50 residents and 70 staff got Covid-19, with six residents passing away.
However, the governance and management team were said to have effectively implemented a contingency plan to safeguard residents.
A positive atmosphere and cautious optimism for a return to normality was noted by staff and residents.
Residents said the last year was "long and boring", but staff "handled it really well", while a staff member described "sad and difficult times" and how Covid hit the centre for a second time "like a tsunami".
Staff told inspectors of a provider who cared for their wellbeing and didn't put pressure on them to return to work.
Inspectors found the centre to be substantially compliant in three regulations and fully compliant in the remaining fifteen.
