St Columban’s home in Magheramore is given a positive report

NURSING HOME IS COMPLIANT IN 13 OF 17 REGULATIONS

ST Columban’s Nursing Home in Magheramore received a positive report following a visit from an inspector from Health Information and Quality Authority.

The centre is a purpose built single storey building that accommodates up to 24 residents and is located within the St Columban’s Sisters Convent.

The nursing home was judged on 17 different regulations and was found to be compliant over 13 of them, substantially compliant regarding three of them and non compliant over a single regulation.

Throughout the inspection residents were seen to be treated with dignity and respect and choices were being respected. The inspector also found that residents were satisfied with the service and praised staff for their hard work and found them to be ‘always courteous, and very polite when supporting residents in their daily lives or when providing care’.

Residents found the group exercise classes to be invalua- ble and also spoke of the input from the religious congregation which they thoroughly appreciated.

The inspector was also satisfied that governance and management arrangements ensured the delivery of safe, appropriate care to residents.

According to the inspector report ‘The provider had a positive approach to regulation and a good history of compliance. Information was being gathered and reviewed to inform the quality and safety of care. Further improvements were required to use this information in completing the annual review of the quality and safety of the service provided’.

The regulations St Columban’s were judged to be compliant with included a directory of residents which was maintained and contained the information required in the regulations. They were also in compliance with insurance regulations as evidence was available that insurance was in place.

A statement of purpose was available which accurately described the service that was provided in the centre.

Policies and procedures were in place for the management of complaints. An accessible complaints procedure was in place. The number of complaints received was minimal.

Adequate wardrobe space was provided in each room. This included lockable space for residents to keep their possessions. Laundry was attended to in the adjoining convent and the laundry room was clean, organised and spacious.

There were systems in place to ensure that a choice of good quality nutritious meals, drinks and snacks were provided to residents. There were adequate staff available to provide assistance to residents.

A residents’ guide was available and met the requirements of the regulations. Staff had attended infection control training and staff spoken with were clear regarding procedures to follow if required. It was noted that hand hygiene gels were located around the centre, and the inspector saw staff using them.

Residents also had access to a wide range of health care services. Detailed care plans were in place which outlined possible triggers and useful interventions. Advice, support, and reviews were readily available from the psychiatric services.

Staff had received training in relation to the detection, and prevention of, and response to abuse, as required by the regulations and a detailed policy was in place to guide practice.

There was a person centred approach to the residents in the centre that respected their privacy and dignity and residents were consulted about how the centre was run and could make choices about how to live their lives.

St Columban’s were judged to be substantially compliant in three regulations categories. There were sufficient resources in place to ensure the delivery of safe, quality care services. However, while the inspector found a range of clinical audits were completed, it was not always clear how these led to improvements in the quality of the service.

Contract for the provision of services and contracts of care were in place, though some improvement was required to ensure that they set out the fees to be charged in line with the regulations.

The fire safety register and associated records were maintained and precautions against the risk of fire were in place. Fire servicing records and training were up to date. However, the drills did not include nighttime scenarios. More detailed records were required following drills such as time taken to evacuate a particular zone.

St Columban’s was only found to be non-compliant over regulations covering records. The sample of staff files reviewed did not meet the requirements of the regulations. Assurance was not available that Garda vetting was in place for all staff as the necessary documentation was not on site.