St Joseph’s Hospital has been deemed ‘fully compliant’ in all assessed areas following a recent HIQA inspection.
The Ennis facility is being described as having had ‘considerable works’ undertaken following previous critical inspection findings.
A high profile inspection at St Joseph’s that came to light back in May 2021 caused significant public concern, when it emerged a number of residents went “periods of months” without showers.
However, this latest visit from health inspectors in December 2022 ‘reflected a commitment from the provider to ongoing quality improvement that would enhance the daily lives of residents’ according to the report.
71 residents were in St Joseph’s on the day HIQA inspected, with the atmosphere described as ‘hospitable’ and ‘inviting’ and residents’ rights being ‘well respected’.
The Alder and Hazel units at the facility are now understood to have ‘additional shower facilities’.
HIQA praises the ‘staffing and skill mix’ in the report, while noting an ‘effective system of risk management’ and the proactive identifying of areas for improvement.
Chief Officer with HSE Mid West Community Healthcare, Maria Bridgeman, is welcoming the report.
In all, St Joseph’s was assessed in twelve different areas by HIQA, including health care, protection, residents rights and staffing, and was deemed fully compliant in all twelve areas.
