HIQA says it remains concerned over whether improvements at St Joseph’s Hospital in Ennis are sustainable.
The health watchdog has today published three inspection reports as well as an overview report of monitoring activity at the HSE run centre for older people, which it notes improvements in living conditions at the Lifford facility.
HIQA says that over the four year period from 2012, the HSE failed to address issues at St Joseph’s and put a sustainable plan in place to improve the quality of life for residents there.
In January last year it placed a restriction on new admissions and informed the HSE that once it could demonstrate that the “privacy, dignity and quality of life needs of residents” were met, an application to remove the condition could be made.
But the HSE appealed this decision to Ennis District Court, in a first of it’s kind legal case, and following ongoing consultation, an agreement was reached last Decemeber to keep the doors of the facility open.
Five months on, HIQA has noted progress in improving the culture of the centre, with the most significant improvements as a direct result of reducing the number of residents accomodated in the Hazel and Alder Units.
The health watchdog says it remains concerned about whether these improvements are sustainable, and has warned that the HSE must continue to promote a home-like environment and eliminate institutional practices.
It’s also ordered the provider to notify it if the facility, which can accomodate 120 people takes in more than 100 residents.
The HSE is now considering two options for the future of the public care facility, which will undergo a major redevelopment by the end of 2021, and HIQA is urging it to progress these plans with a defined time-bound implementation plan.
In a statement to Clare FM, HSE Mid-West has acknowledged that the HIQA reports “contain observations that some may find to be negative or difficult”.
But Chief Officer Brendan Gloster is assuring the public that the HSE is continuing “at every opportunity to improve at St Joseph’s” and he says that’s “reflected in any fair reading of the reports published today”.
HIQA’s Deputy Chief Inspector of Older Peoples’ Services Susan Cliffe has also been telling Clare FM’s Gavin Grace that while there have been improvements at St. Joseph’s, there is still room for more
We’ll have more on this on Clare FM’s Morning Focus this Friday morning.
You can read HIQA’s three inspection reports here
HIQA’s overview report is available to read here
Full Statement from HSE MidWest
The HSE Mid West became aware in the past week that the regulatory body HIQA intended to publish today a number of reports regarding 2017 inspections of St. Joseph’s Hospital Ennis. It is recognised the authority has the right to do so. The HSE is conscious that the four reports contain observations that some may find to be negative or difficult.
Most of these have been dealt with extensively by the HSE not only in public but in the Courts in 2017. We recall the significant public unease and concern at the publication in July 17 of an August 16 report while we were in the proceedings adjourned before the Court.. We responded in detail at the time.
Today we note in the published reports that we have since that time received our registration without restriction on admissions in St. Joseph’s and that is the most important finding. The public may recall that HIQA had proposed to restrict admissions however the HSE secured a change to this decision when HIQA granted registration in December 17 and the HSE accordingly asked the Court to strike out the HSE challenge to HIQA.
There are two additional factors regarding the reports published today. The first is that they show progressive improvements on many fronts over April September and November 2017. The second factor is that the public will not be aware of the engagement between the HSE and HIQA when these reports first came out in draft form shortly after the inspections and all while a case was standing before the Court. In this regard we note that extensive challenge was made by the HSE to the draft April report but same is not published with the report.
Commenting further HSE Mid West Chief Officer Bernard Gloster said “St. Joseph’s is registered with HIQA without restriction on admissions. It is perhaps one of the Centres most reported on and commented on in the public domain over a sustained period. The public can be assured the HSE continues at every opportunity to improve at St. Joseph’s and that is reflected in any fair reading of the reports published today noting they are now many months after the fact.”
