Nursing home residents’ only activity was Mass, Hiqa finds

Residents at a south Dublin nursing home had no daily activities except for morning Mass, a Hiqa inspection has found.

An unannounced Hiqa inspection was carried out at St Mary's Centre nursing home in Dublin 4 in August 2016.

Following the inspection, Hiqa criticised delays in administering medications at the home and the centre’s owners for not having enough staff on duty.

Hiqa also issued the centre with an immediate action plan to improve the care of its 54 residents.

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The inspection found that seven nurses had left during an eight-month period, but only five replacements had been hired.

Inspectors said that, with the exception of Mass at 10.30am, there were no activities planned for residents on the day of inspection.

Inspectors observed residents sleeping in their chairs, watching TV or staring out the window.

Opportunities for purposeful or meaningful stimulation for residents who remained in bed or in their bedrooms for long periods of time due to frailty or personal preference were not provided, inspectors noted.

Inspectors found the provider of the service, St Mary’s Centre (Telford), had not ensured the full needs of all residents were being met or that sufficient monitoring was in place to deliver safe, appropriate and consistent levels of service, in line with the centre’s statement of purpose.

They also that medication management at the home did not reflect professional guidance.

Delays

Inspectors discovered delays of up to two-and-a-half hours in giving medications to residents and that nurses frequently had to stop administering drugs in order to go to the assistance of other residents.

Inspectors also said some residents were very unsteady on their feet and were falling frequently.

They said the falls, some of which had resulted in transfer to an acute hospital emergency department for treatment, were not being responded to appropriately.

Inspectors said post-fall assessments to put in place better ways of managing the risks associated with behaviour such as pacing, restlessness and agitation, particularly at night, were not carried out.

They said that choking incidences were not being managed ina safe way and recommendations made by an acute hospital specialist in this regard were not implemented.

Hiqa inspectors conveyed their findings to St Mary’s Centre (Telford) and to the person in charge of the home.

The inspectors’ report said their response included a commitment to put resources in place to mitigate the risks identified and to ensure the needs of all residents are effectively managed.