POSITIVE HIQA REPORT ON STRAWHALL NURSING HOME

HIQA has published its most recent report on Strawhall Nursing Home in Fermoy, and the report returned a largely favourable account of conditions in the home.

Strawhall can accommodate up to 30 clients, and on the day of the inspection there were 27 present. The unannounced visit took place on February 4th and the report was published in late April.

The report said that overall, residents praised the staff for their kindness and patience, and expressed their relief that the home had stayed free of Covid-19.

The inspector noted that residents of Strawhall had personalised bedrooms containing their own belongings, had access to and read the daily newspapers, and had a choice of food at mealtimes. She also spoke positively about the staffing levels and the fact that call-bells were answered promptly, and that residents enjoyed bingo, basketball, rings and skittles during the visit, as well as access to the outdoor space when they requested it.

Mealtimes were reported as being ‘happy social occasions’ and the report positively noted that there was a steady stream of visitors in the nursing home, all of whom were observed to be undergoing appropriate preparation to prevent the spread of Covid-19 when entering the building. Residents told the inspector that they were looking forward to having tea on the patio again, and enjoyed weekly visits from a physiotherapist, and regular visits from a hairdresser.

However, the report noted that toilets needed attention, where one required a ‘deep clean’ and another was leaking. She also reported negatively on a sluice room that was used for storage and needed tidying, however, the report still noted that these areas were ‘substantially compliant’ with procedures.

The only area in which Strawhall Nursing Home was judged to be not in compliance was in the area of fire safety procedures, including running a drill with night-time staffing levels to see if it could be managed safely. Other issues raised were fire risks, like multiple devices plugged into one extension lead. However, the report noted that HIQA had been informed that these issues had been addressed by the time the report was published.