Residents of Dublin nursing home not provided with any activities, Hiqa finds

A lack of stimulating activities, poor nutritional care and severe fire safety concerns were some of the issues raised in recent nursing home inspections by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa).

The authority published 50 inspection reports on Monday relating to residential homes for older people across the country. While many facilities were found to be largely in compliance with guidelines, Hiqa also reported serious safety and care issues.

Nine facilities were found to be non-compliant with at least four regulations. “On these inspections, noncompliance was identified in areas including; managing behaviour that is challenging, protection, residents’ rights, staffing, records, governance and management, written policies and procedures, food and nutrition, and visits,” Hiqa said.

In one Dublin home, residents were not provided with any activities, it found. In the Tara Winthrop home in Swords, inspectors observed residents being sat in rows of seats, with their backs to other residents, facing a television that was not turned on.

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Most residents sat silently while others slept. When the inspectors asked why they were facing a blank television, “staff responded by turning the television on and leaving it on a channel displaying cartoon programmes.”

Out of the six and a half activity coordinator posts in the facility, three were vacant.

Hiqa said inspectors noted practices “which were institutionalised rather than person-centred.” This included only offering residents showers on certain days rather than on a daily basis as detailed in their care plans.

Staff put residents to bed without asking their consent first, residents reported. One person said staff repeatedly asked them if they wanted to wear incontinence pads despite not being incontinent.

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During meals, staff placed clothing protectors on residents without asking if they wanted them. Staff shortages meant wait times of up to 30 minutes to use the bathroom, one resident reported.

Some people reported being treated “like children” by staff who would “pop into other residents’ rooms to borrow’ continence pads or wipes while residents were still sleeping.”

Residents of Esker Ri Nursing Home Clara, Co Offaly told Hiqa they often experienced long delays waiting for assistance. “On three occasions during the inspection, inspectors were required to locate staff on behalf of residents who required assistance,” the inspection report states.

The provider was aware of staff shortages but had continued to admit new residents, it noted.

There was also a failure to properly respond to incidents of residents absconding from the centre

Hiqa also raised urgent concerns about the nutritional needs of residents not being met. It said “residents’ dietary needs were not consistently met, as prescribed by allied healthcare professionals” and that food served was “not properly and safely prepared”

In Aperee Living, a care home in Ballinfoyle, Co Galway, there were significant fire safety concerns. An fire safety inspection took place in June 2021 after which the provider submitted a compliance plan.

However when it was inspected earlier this year “inspectors found the majority of issues identified in the fire safety assessment and on inspection, had not been addressed.”

It said the provider had committed to taking action to address the issues “some of which has been identified as high risk to residents, staff and visitors” but that no information was available on when the works would begin.