A West Clare nursing home has been found non-compliant in areas of fire precautions, premises and infection prevention and control for the second inspection in a row.
An audit of Kilrush District Hospital carried out by the Health Inspection and Quality Authority found that a high priority risk identified in a 2021 fire safety assessment had still not been addressed.
The unannounced visit took place on the 28th of August on a day when 25 residents were in attendance.
Residents told the inspector that they enjoyed living in the centre and were supported to have a good quality of life.
They described staff as kind, friendly, respectful and attentive to their needs.
According to HIQA, though, the provider had not ensured that a clearly defined management structure , with clear lines of accountability and responsibility was in place, particularly in relation to risk, fire safety and infection prevention.
It was also noted that since the previous inspection at Kilrush District Hospital in October, a compliance plan to address issues with the premises had not commenced.
Hence, areas of the premises were found in a poor state of repair, both internally and externally, with walls along corridors and in bedrooms visibly stained, chipped, cracked, and damaged.
The health watchdog also determined that infection prevention and control procedures were not consistent with national
standards.
Examples included poorly maintained areas of the premises that impacted on effective cleaning and that laundry facilities did not reduce the risk of cross infection.
A programme of fire safety works had not yet commenced, and therefore HIQA says significant fire risk remained in the centre.
Inspectors said that deficits to fire doors presented a risk to the fire containment of the centre, while a number of fire doors were observed to be impaired with some not closing fully while other doors were stuck on the floor when opened.
“There were persistent deficits to the fire containment measures throughout the building, identified in the provider’s fire safety risk assessment.
At the time of inspection, the registered provider had not taken adequate precautions to ensure that residents were protected from the risk of fire, nor were fire precautions being adequately reviewed. ”
According to HIQA, the fire evacuation procedure had not been reviewed or updated to mitigate known fire risks in the centre.
This included the risk associated with impaired fire doors, meaning staff did not have full knowledge of the extent of fire risks in the centre.
Inspectors also noted poor practices were observed where fire doors were being kept open by means other than appropriate hold open devices connected to the fire alarm system.
Additionally, HIQA documented two bedrooms that were accessible only through the dining room that staff would be prevented from accessing if a fire occurred in the dining room.
While “there was an emergency exit at the end of the corridor, staff did not have a means to enter this part of the building from the outside as there were no externally facing fastenings on the exit.”
The inspector said Staff spoken with gave inconsistent responses with regard to the means of accessing this area in the event of a fire emergency.
HIQA also noted that a high priority risk identified in a fire safety risk assessment completed in 2021had not been addressed.”, which related to electrical panels located on escape corridors not protected by fire rated construction.
Ultimately the facility was found to be not compliant with five regulations, substantially compliant with two and fully compliant with eight.
The provider Kilrush District Hospital Company has submitted a compliance plan to address all areas of non-compliance.
The full report is available here
