Staff at Connemara nursing home showed ‘poor practice’ in relation to use of PPE — Hiqa report

Staff at a nursing home in Connemara, Co Galway showed “poor practice” in relation to the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), a report from the State’s health watchdog has found.

Inspectors from the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) also said staff at Áras Chois Fharraige in Spidéal, were not clear about “the procedure to be followed in the event of a fire”.

Staff also failed to respond to the care needs of residents in a “timely manner”.

The unannounced risk inspection, which took place in April, found the nursing home was not compliant in six out of 10 regulations.

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Of the 48 inspection reports on nursing homes published by Hiqa on Friday, 32 of them had instances of noncompliance.

In relation to Áras Chois Fharraige, inspectors found that staff supervision arrangements were “not appropriate”.

The report did note that residents living at the centre were supported by ‘caring staff who knew them well’ and said they ‘enjoyed their life in the centre and that the staff were kind to them’

“Staff observed and spoken with did not demonstrate the required competencies and knowledge to deliver effective and safe services to the residents,” the inspection report said.

Inspectors also said that laundry and catering duties were “supplemented by staff”. “This meant that care staff had to leave their care duties to complete housekeeping tasks,” they said.

However, the report did note that residents living at the centre were supported by “caring staff who knew them well” and said they “enjoyed their life in the centre and that the staff were kind to them”.

A review of residents’ records found that there was regular communication with their general practitioners (GPs) regarding their healthcare needs. However, a number of residents had not been reviewed in person by their GP for over six months “despite showing signs and symptoms of physical deterioration”.

Separately, a Hiqa inspection of Killybegs Community Hospital in Co Donegal, found that their quality assurance systems “did not ensure that the care provided in the centre was safe and appropriate”.

“The quality audits and reports that had been carried out had not identified the non-compliances found during this inspection,” it said.

The unannounced inspection in March also found that the provider’s arrangements to fill staff vacancies were “not effective”, and as a result staffing resources were “not made available to support residents in the centre”.

“The provider did not have adequate oversight of the fire safety precautions that were in place in the designated centre,” it added. “The inspector identified several significant fire safety risks on the day of the inspection that the provider had not identified.”

The inspector found the nursing home was not compliant in five out of 17 regulations.

However, the report also noted that the inspector spoke with a number of residents and visitors on the day of the inspection and their feedback was that staff were “kind and caring”.

“Some visitors’ told the inspector that the centre was a great place to live for residents and the staff were exceptional,” it said.