Kerry General Hospital, ranked one of the lowest of the 54 hospitals in the national audit of hygiene in acute hospitals, spent over €2 million on cleaning last year, the HSE Southern Area revealed yesterday.
The spend of €2.172 million - close to €50,000 a week - went on in-house and contract cleaning, a spokesman said, but declined to give a breakdown.
Spot-check visits by auditors rated the Tralee-based Kerry General Hospital "poor" in all but 11 of the 35 categories of hygiene levels. All five departments monitored averaged poor.
The 377-bed hospital had an overall hygiene score of 63, one mark ahead of the three lowest - Waterford Regional Hospital, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, and St Columcille's Hospital, Loughlinstown - and 25 marks lower than the highest achiever, Mallow General, which is in the same health board area. Last year 14,291 inpatients and 41,062 outpatients were seen at the hospital.
"Kerry General Hospital acknowledges the results of the national acute hospitals hygiene audit. Hospital management will be working immediately on the recommendations contained in the report to improve the standard of hygiene at the hospital," a statement said.
"A multi-disciplinary group will now be established at the hospital to review the report and work on the recommendations contained therein.
"This group will work in collaboration with the national working group to ensure that national best practice and highest standards are applied in the hospital."
The spokesman said until the group reported it was not possible to say if the cleaning budget would be increased next year.
The seven elements of environment, ward/departmental kitchens, handling and disposal of linen, waste handling and disposal, handling and disposal of sharps, hand hygiene and the management of general patient equipment were rated across five departments; surgical, medical, intensive care, outpatients and accident and emergency.
It scored "good" - 85 per cent or more - in just four areas; the safe handling and disposal of sharps in surgical and outpatients, and the handling and disposal of linen in intensive care and in accident and emergency.
In seven categories hygiene levels were considered "fair", but overall ward and department kitchens were poor and waste handling poor.
Hand hygiene was also poor in a number of departments.