Nursing home ‘wrong to ration dementia sufferer’s cigarettes’

A NURSING home which rationed the cigarette supply of a resident with dementia has been criticised by a health watchdog.

Corrandulla nursing home in Co Galway restricted the resident’s cigarettes without carrying out a risk assessment.

However, inspectors found documents showing that the resident suffered agitated behaviour when they did not have access to cigarettes, the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) report said.

Inspectors also observed inappropriate engagement between staff and residents, with one resident being told to “sit down”.

The “tone of the voice used by the staff member was inappropriate”, the report said.

Following an altercation between two other residents with dementia, the inspectors heard a staff member ask one: “Are you five?”

An inspection of medication management found a number of concerns including some drugs not being administered in line with official guidelines.

Inspectors were also not satisfied that there were sufficient measures in place to protect residents from being harmed or suffering abuse, with the policy not having been reviewed for eight years.

The inspectors had concerns that residents’ privacy and dignity were negatively impacted by the use of closed-circuit television cameras in all of the communal areas.

The inspectors found that residents had access to a small secure, enclosed paved courtyard area. The door was unlocked and residents could easily access it.

Residents who smoked had open access to a smoking room that was part of the enclosed courtyard.

The smoking room was in an unkempt condition and required thorough cleaning. The hard seating provided was also worn.

A resident brought a comfortable cushion but was told it was not permitted.

Hiqa has set out an action plan for the home with proposed timescales to improve the deficiencies. Management is obliged to follow the plan.

The issues will be reviewed at the next inspection.