A South-East Clare nursing home has been found to be not fully compliant with any regulations following an inspection by the Health Watchdog.
HIQA made an unannounced visit to Athlunkard Nursing Home in May.
The inspection took place on May 11th, when 85 residents were in attendance at the Westbury facility, which has capacity for 103.
Residents living in Athlunkard House Nursing Home told inspectors that staff were kind, patient and supportive and that they felt safe living in the centre, but some described delays in receiving assistance, particularly at night.
HIQA said the unannounced visit was conducted on the back of care quality and infection control concerns and that this information was substantiated during the inspection.
It noted that Staff informed inspectors that they manually decanted the contents of urinals into toilets prior to manually cleaning in resident sinks which HIQA says increased the risk of environmental contamination and the spread of health care associated infections.
Inspectors also said the provider had failed to ensure that all staff responsible for the evacuation of residents in the event of a fire or emergency had received suitable training, that combustible materials were inappropriately stored, a fault was displayed on the fire alarm panel and a number of fire doors were impaired.
HIQA also found that care plans had not updated when the health conditions of some residents changed, with the example of one patient who endured a significant weight loss and deterioration in overall health.
It was also reported that staff did not receive clear guidance on the actions to take when a resident’s fluid and nutritional intake began to decline.
Athlunkard Nursing Home was found not compliant in the areas of Staffing, Training and staff development, Records, Governance and management, Notification of incidents, Complaints procedures, Written policies and procedures, Food and nutrition, Infection control, fire precautions, Individual assessment and care plans, Health care and Protection.
Athlunkard was found substantially compliant in the condition of its premises and resident’s rights.
The provider has since submitted compliance plan outlining how it will address all shortcomings.
