HIQA identifies ‘major’ non-compliance issues at Kanturk Hospital

UPGRADE WORKS DUE TO START THIS YEAR

AN inspection report by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) into facilities at Kanturk Community Hospital has found that some recommendations made following a previous visit by the authority two years ago have yet to be implemented.

The latest inspection, undertaken over a period of two days in January, monitored the performance of the HSE administered hospital under 18 specific ‘ outcomes’.

The report pointed out that the last inspection of the centre in June 2016 had identified a “significant level of non-compliance, particularly in relation to the physical environment and facilities for residents.”

“The current inspection assessed levels of compliance and regulatory requirements as well as progress on the actions that had been proposed in response to the findings of the previous inspection,” read the report.

While the report said that some actions had been progressed in relation to the previous findings and work to improve monitoring systems had been undertaken, other areas for improvement “had not been fully addressed”.

While the majority of the 18 ‘ outcomes’ were deemed to be either compliant or moderately compliant, the HIQA inspector did find three areas of major non-compliance. These fell under the headings ‘notification of incidents’, ‘safe and suitable premises’ and ‘residents rights, dignity and consultation’.

The report pointed out that many residents were still accommodated in multi-occupancy rooms with space between beds restricted in some of these wards “making it difficult to effectively personal care safely or without disruption to others”.

“Circumstances remained whereby access to some rooms was only available through the accommodation space of other residents. These circumstances did not support appropriate arrangements for residents to receive care with appropriate privacy and dignity,” read the report.

“Layout and access to bathroom facilities did not fully meet the needs of residents and appropriate storage for equipment was inadequate,” it added.

The report said that inadequate storage for residents’ belongings had been identified in the previous inspection and there had been ‘no significant improvement in this regard’.

The report noted evidence that standalone heaters were in use in some rooms where window insulation was poor, that some residents had identified the lack of privacy as an issue for them, there was no separate designated dining facility and that a private room for residents with end-of-life care needs could not always be provided.

While the HSE has confirmed that €9.7 million had been set aside for refurbishment works at both Kanturk and Millstreet Hospitals, the report noted that works at the Kanturk facility had not commenced at the time of the inspection.

Last May, local county councillor John Paul O’Shea confirmed that a full design team had been appointed for the Kanturk hospital project and was due to seek planning permission for refurbishment works by the end of this year.