The Health Watchdog has found that ‘heavily soiled surfaces’ and ‘encrusted dirt on floors’ posed a risk of infection spread at St Joseph’s Hospital in Ennis.
In an inspection carried out just days before a new €25 million facility was confirmed to replace the facility, a number of non-compliances have been highlighted.
The report also criticises the lack of storage for patients’ belongings, as Clare FM’s James Mulhall reports.
The announced inspection of St Joseph’s Hospital on the Lifford Road in Ennis took place on September 20th last.
A number of non-compliances were highlighted by HIQA inspectors – record-keeping, hygiene, management and facilities all come under fire.
During the course of the inspection, several examples of heavily soiled surfaces and encrusted dirt on flooring were noted, leading to infection control concerns.
It was also found that residents of the Hazel Unit didn’t have enough storage for their belongings, meaning many used bags and chairs to store their items so they could access them from their beds.
In response, management said a that a review had been carried out which found that the vast majority of residents were satisfied with their storage and that only two used bedside chairs for their possessions.
In addition, a new cleaning schedule has since been implemented while additional training for Infection Prevention and control has been carried out, to address the hygiene concerns.
Just five days after the inspection date, it was confirmed that a €25 million facility had been given the green light to replace St Joseph’s.
The new facility will be located on a greenfield site in Ennis and will be operational by 2021.
