Hospice nurses reply to review findings

Nursing staff at the Galway Hospice have said that they tried to draw attention more than three years ago to problems at the 12-bed unit.

In a letter to newspapers, 10 staff at the hospice have also said that there is "no valid reason" why referrals of cancer patients should not resume. They have called on the Western Health Board to act "without delay".

The 10 staff state in the letter that they welcome last week's publication of the independent review of medication procedures at the Galway Hospice. "We fully accept the review group's findings in relation to errors in medication management by both nurses and doctors," they say.

The nurses state that they were "devastated" by the events which followed closure of the hospice to new referrals last May.

"We are an experienced, dedicated team of palliative care nurses who have always endeavoured to deliver the highest standard of care to our patients," they say. "We will continue to deliver that high standard of care to the best of our abilities. We wish to reassure the people of Galway of our commitment and determination."

The delay in initiating an investigation had resulted in a "considerable amount of unfounded rumour and innuendo" about the hospice, and it had been a very difficult time for patients and their families.

The nurses state that a certain number of medication errors are "inevitable" in any medical facility and refer to a recent study at Tallaght Hospital in Dublin which had shown that patient safety improved when staff members were encouraged to report such mistakes in a "non-threatening and non-accusatory" environment.

Patient safety "disimproved" and serious errors went unrecorded "in an environment where people were reluctant to report errors because of the perceived consequences", the nurses say.

They note the review's reference to concerns raised by nursing staff in relation to medication incidents as far back as October 2000. The review had also referred to a "clear sense of frustration" among in-patient unit nurses that no "observable change" had resulted from complaints; nor was there any process or structure to resolve these "obviously stressful situations".

The nurses say that they welcome the report's recommendation that a regular and formal forum be provided for interdisciplinary communication.

They refer to the work carried out in recent months to improve procedures at the Galway Hospice and say that many of the review's 65 recommendations have already been implemented.

They feel there is "no valid reason for continuing the current impasse" and urge the WHB to ensure that "referral of hospice patients starts again without any further delay".

The Galway Hospice Foundation said that it was studying the contents of the letter yesterday. The WHB had no comment to make. The WHB is conducting separate investigations into allegations of bullying at the hospice.