New building ‘to address issues at community hospital’ in north Cork

A new building extension to St Joseph’s Community Hospital will address several issues Hiqa have identified as remaining in place over multiple inspections, the HSE has said.

A recent Hiqa inspection identified that there was a pleasant atmosphere at the Millstreet centre, and residents were relaxed and comfortable in their surroundings — the centre was marked compliant in 10 areas.

However, there were also four substantially compliant scores and six non-compliances. There were several repeat findings, problems identified in previous inspections but not addressed since.

These included that televisions were displayed behind residents’ beds and very high, so residents were unable to see their TV while in bed, and that some residents did not have a television.

The inspector noted another repeat finding: 

“The current building and layout of multi-occupancy bedrooms remained unfit for purpose. For example, some residents had only a single wardrobe to hold their clothing, and were totally inadequate for a residential care facility.”

Finally, privacy screens in the multi-occupancy bedrooms were difficult and could not be used independently where a resident had reduced mobility, meaning it was difficult for residents to undertake personal activities in private without the support of staff, another problem previously identified by Hiqa.

The centre was marked non-compliant in the area of fire safety — the provider was required to address immediate risks, including an unlocked electrical panel and storage of oxygen cylinders in inappropriate places, including beside an electrical socket.

A sample evacuation was carried out — one bed was positioned so that it got caught on a retracted privacy screen, while laundry bins and a cleaning trolley in a corridor also proved obstacles to a safe and timely evacuation.

One resident had no personal emergency evacuation plan (PEEP), and plans in place for other residents “lacked detail”.

Further staff fire safety training was required, and a number of areas were not fitted with fire detection.

Finally, the confirmation of annual inspection and testing of the emergency lighting was not available to Hiqa; instead a report detailing reasons for withholding this report was issued.

A review of complaint records showed they were not comprehensively recorded and followed up.

One resident complained that her purse was missing, however, the complaint record did not include any detail such as the investigation, follow-up, or outcome.

These issues, and the fact that “there was a lack of oversight of volunteers in the centre to safeguard residents”, led to a non-compliance in the area of governance and management also.

Personal evacuation plans have been updated, fire detection has been installed in the areas requiring it, and daily checks are ongoing to keep track of issues, the provider said, adding that the complaint mentioned by Hiqa has been addressed.

It added that the team “acknowledges the premises do not currently conform” to regulations but said the new building will address these issues, such as providing all residents with a single en-suite room and double wardrobe.