HYGIENE STANDARDS at a major Dublin hospital have deteriorated over the past year, according to a new report from the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa).
Inspectors from the authority who visited Tallaght hospital last month found torn mattresses and commodes with torn covers in the emergency department, a mould-like residue on grouting in some showers and a number of toilets and showers were “not visibly clean”.
They also observed chipped paint, damaged walls and “a film of dust on high and low surfaces in five of the areas visited”.
The hospital had wheelchairs and blood pressure stands which were not visibly clean, there was dust and sticky tape residue on equipment and medical devices, and while equipment was reported to be cleaned after each patient, there were no sign-off sheets for cleaning the equipment demonstrated in five of the eight areas of the hospital which were visited.
Those areas of the 571-bed hospital visited included six wards as well as the outpatient and emergency departments.
The inspectors, whose report was published yesterday, also found hand hygiene training was not mandatory for staff. They noticed during their visit that all opportunities to practise hand hygiene were not taken by staff and their hand-washing technique did not always comply with best practice.
The hospital’s performance was rated against seven standards. Its performance compared with 2008 had deteriorated in respect of four of the standards and remained the same as last year on the other three.
The report states that in the majority of the areas visited the standard of hygiene was just fair, but all kitchens were clean.
“The Adelaide and Meath Hospital incorporating the National Children’s Hospital must continue to improve its performance in order to provide safe, efficient and effective hygiene services,” the report concludes.
The hospital was asked if it wished to comment on the inspectors’ findings but it had failed to respond by tea-time yesterday.
Meanwhile, a separate report from Hiqa’s inspection team found hygiene levels at the 349-bed Mercy University Hospital in Cork had improved since 2008 but it still has work to do.
While inspectors found the overall standard of hygiene at ward level was good, all opportunities to practise hand hygiene were not taken by staff and their hand-washing technique did not always comply with best practice.
Furthermore, a small amount of dust was observed on low surfaces and vents in four of the six clinical areas visited, there was a residue with a mould-like appearance in the showers in two wards, and two chairs in the outpatient department were worn and patched with sticky tape.
There was also a torn mattress in the outpatient department and on one ward and some equipment stands had rusty wheels.
Nonetheless, the hospital improved its performance against three of seven standards monitored, maintained its standards against a further three and disimproved on one.
Jim Corbett, deputy chief executive of Mercy hospital, said the hospital was pleased that the enormous amount of work it had done over the last year had been recognised. “But we recognise there is still work to be done,” he said.
The issues raised, he added, were relatively minor and he was confident they could be addressed in a very short space of time.