Bantry consultants faulted over hand hygiene training

Consultants at Bantry General Hospital had the worst record of any group of staff for attending hand hygiene training, according to a report by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa).

Only 40 per cent of consultants at the hospital had attended hand hygiene courses in the last two years, Hiqa inspectors found. This compared to 93 per cent of nurses, 100 per cent of care assistants and 67 per cent of porters.

The hospital told inspectors attendance by consultants has increased this year, but hand hygiene records for non-consultant hospital doctors were not provided.

The report says the hospital has demonstrated a commitment to hand hygiene training and its performance has improved since an audit in 2011. Inspectors noted that 16 out of 19 handwashing events were properly carried out. However, Hiqa says further improvement is needed.

The report says the medical ward of the hospital was generally clean but expressed concern about the cleaning of patient equipment.

Inspectors found that equipment that had been used to undertake a liver biopsy was stored in a dish on top of a bedpan washer in the utility room. The equipment was unclean and visibly stained with blood which posed a risk of the spread of transmissible disease, according to the report.

Also in the utility room, rust coloured staining was found on the wheels of two commodes and “brown staining” under the seat of the commodes.

A separate report on Louth County Hospital found that the environment and patient equipment in the Stroke Rehabilitation Unit were clean with some exceptions, but some improvements were required.