Acute hospitals hygiene audit: A second audit of hygiene standards in more than 50 hospitals across the State has recorded significant improvements in cleanliness levels.
Despite this, the report of the Second National Hygiene Audit of Acute Hospitals published yesterday found almost half of bed frames in hospitals to be "dirty/dusty". It also found that soap and/or paper towels were not available in all hospital toilets.
When the results of the first audit were published last November, only five of the 54 acute hospitals surveyed met required standards. In this latest audit, 32 of 53 hospitals audited reached such standards.
Only two hospitals were categorised as having poor hygiene standards, compared to 26 in the last audit. The two hospitals which scored worst were Monaghan General Hospital and the South Infirmary/Victoria Hospital in Cork.
The most hygienic hospitalswere named in this latest audit as St Luke's Hospital in Rathgar, Dublin, and the Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar.
The second audit was carried out during February, March and April, and visits were made unannounced. The company conducting this audit, Desford Consultancy Ltd, also conducted the first audit. It rated hospitals for hygiene in a number of areas such as A&E and intensive care, as well as surgical and medical wards. It looked at specifics such as hand hygiene, management of patient equipment, waste handling, and ward kitchens in each of these departments. Hospitals were then given a score out of 100 for each of these areas and these figures were used to calculate an overall score for each hospital.
This meant hospitals which scored poorly for cleanliness in A&E, for example, could still get a good overall score.
Hospitals in this category included St Luke's in Kilkenny; Kerry, Sligo and Nenagh General Hospitals; and Limerick Regional Hospital.
While several hospitals achieved 100 per cent for their effort in different categories, the lowest score in any single element went to Naas Hospital which got just 24 percentage points for management of patient equipment in A&E.
Dr Mary Hynes from the HSE's national hospitals office said there had been marked improvements since the first audit but she was disappointed standards in two hospitals were poor. These hospitals would be audited again in the autumn, she said.
She added that not all areas of hospitals had been audited and promised all areas including theatres would be vetted next time.
Minister for Health Mary Harney welcomed the improvements but said hospitals which scored well should not become complacent. She ruled out financially penalising hospitals which had poor hygiene standards but said in the long term she wanted to see a licensing or accreditation system for all hospitals. Then hospitals which were not up to scratch would not be accredited and could not operate, she said.
The report of the second audit said that while improvements had been made, there remained a number of elements in one or more clinical areas in almost every hospital where standards still needed to improve.
It also noted that "outdated and inappropriate items of cleaning equipment were still in use in a number of hospitals".
More than half the bathrooms were found to be clean, the audit found, but noted "almost half of the bed frames were dirty/dusty".
In ward kitchens, it said "the majority of food products were within their expiry date".
The audit also found that the majority of patient equipment such as IV stands and cardiac monitors were clean but some dressing trolleys and blood pressure cuffs were unsatisfactory.
It also said "some cot sides were dirty".
Eithne Donnellan,
Health Correspondent
A second audit of hygiene standards in more than 50 hospitals across the State has recorded significant improvements in cleanliness levels.
Despite this, the report of the Second National Hygiene Audit of Acute Hospitals published yesterday found almost half of bed frames in hospitals to be "dirty/dusty". It also found that soap and/or paper towels were not available in all hospital toilets.
When the results of the first audit were published last November, only five of the 54 acute hospitals surveyed met required standards. In this latest audit, 32 of 53 hospitals audited reached such standards.
Only two hospitals were categorised as having poor hygiene standards, compared to 26 in the last audit. The two hospitals which scored worst were Monaghan General Hospital and the South Infirmary/Victoria Hospital in Cork.
The most hygienic hospitalswere named in this latest audit as St Luke's Hospital in Rathgar, Dublin, and the Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar.
The second audit was carried out during February, March and April, and visits were made unannounced. The company conducting this audit, Desford Consultancy Ltd, also conducted the first audit. It rated hospitals for hygiene in a number of areas such as A&E and intensive care, as well as surgical and medical wards. It looked at specifics such as hand hygiene, management of patient equipment, waste handling, and ward kitchens in each of these departments. Hospitals were then given a score out of 100 for each of these areas and these figures were used to calculate an overall score for each hospital.
This meant hospitals which scored poorly for cleanliness in A&E, for example, could still get a good overall score.
Hospitals in this category included St Luke's in Kilkenny; Kerry, Sligo and Nenagh General Hospitals; and Limerick Regional Hospital.
While several hospitals achieved 100 per cent for their effort in different categories, the lowest score in any single element went to Naas Hospital which got just 24 percentage points for management of patient equipment in A&E.
Dr Mary Hynes from the HSE's national hospitals office said there had been marked improvements since the first audit but she was disappointed standards in two hospitals were poor. These hospitals would be audited again in the autumn, she said.
She added that not all areas of hospitals had been audited and promised all areas including theatres would be vetted next time.
Minister for Health Mary Harney welcomed the improvements but said hospitals which scored well should not become complacent. She ruled out financially penalising hospitals which had poor hygiene standards but said in the long term she wanted to see a licensing or accreditation system for all hospitals. Then hospitals which were not up to scratch would not be accredited and could not operate, she said.
The report of the second audit said that while improvements had been made, there remained a number of elements in one or more clinical areas in almost every hospital where standards still needed to improve.
It also noted that "outdated and inappropriate items of cleaning equipment were still in use in a number of hospitals".
More than half the bathrooms were found to be clean, the audit found, but noted "almost half of the bed frames were dirty/dusty".
In ward kitchens, it said "the majority of food products were within their expiry date".
The audit also found that the majority of patient equipment such as IV stands and cardiac monitors were clean but some dressing trolleys and blood pressure cuffs were unsatisfactory.
It also said "some cot sides were dirty".