Activity programme for residents of Cork centre for older people put in place

An activity programme has been put in place for residents of St Stephen’s Hospital centre for older people following a HIQA inspector noting that a lack of social stimulation was affecting residents’ quality of life.

The dementia unit in St Stephens Hospital in Sarsfield Court, Glanmire, was found to be compliant in six areas, substantially compliant in four and not compliant in a further four.

Inspectors noted that in the HSE-run centre, residents were overall seen to be well cared for and staff interactions were kind and respectful.

However, the inspector saw that there was no social stimulation or activities taking place in the centre. From discussions with staff it was apparent that previous activities for residents such as music and therapies had ceased, due to a reduction in the amount of residents living in the centre.

The inadequate resources allocated to a social programme were “impacting on residents quality of life”, inspectors said. Residents did not have access to meaningful activities and there was minimal social stimulation, which was a repeat finding from previous inspections.

The majority of residents living in the centre did not have access to the day care services on the campus, though the centres statement of purpose indicated that these services would be available to residents.

On review of the staff roster, it was evident that not all persons working in the centre were recorded on this document accurately. The inspection also found that “the lines of authority and accountability at individual, team and service levels were unclear” and roles and responsibilities were not understood.

For example; staff working in the centre on the day of the inspection did not have a clear indication of who to contact in the event of an emergency.

Issues with the system for incident reporting were also raised, as there had been a significant delay in reporting a serious incident and a subsequent delay in the investigation process.

The safeguarding plan in place was not centre-specific, and safeguarding risks that were identified, specifically the supervision arrangements for staff, “were not effectively implemented or monitored”.

The HSE told HIQA that a new centre-specific plan was in place and was being monitored, and that assessments designed to assess the level of activities a resident has the ability to engage with have been carried out. A programme of activities has been planned following these assessments and is to be carried out by the healthcare assistants (HCA) with the support of a nurse from Valley View day centre one morning a week.

The occupational therapy department committed to providing an occupational therapist each Friday morning commencing in July 25 to support this activity programme.