HIQA has criticised the region’s main hospital over medication safety.
Following an announced inspection of University Hospital Limerick in May, the health watchdog claimed that the “collective nature of risks identified presented potential risks to patients and needed to be addressed by the hospital”.
During an announced inspection of University Hospital Limerick on May 18th, inspectors met with senior hospital personnel and staff, visited the rainbow ward and ward 3B, and conducted a survey among outpatients in the outpatient department.
Inspectors found “inherent weaknesses in the existing medication safety systems and processes” and that many elements required to improve the safety and quality of medicines were either in the very early stages of development or not in place.
The health watchdog has raised a number of concerns including that a cohesive approach to governance and oversight of the provision of pharmacy services to the five sites within the group, including Ennis, was lacking.
Hospital management have since provided HIQA with a quality improvement plan to address the risks, but the ehalth authority says UHL must ensure that defined and appropriate timelines are in place as a matter of priority.
HIQA has noted that efforts have been made to strengthen governance arrangements and has ordered a follow-up inspection within six months to determine progress made in addressing risks.
You can read the report in full here
