Fire risk criticised at Co Clare community hospital

Inspectors have criticised fire safety precautions at a HSE-run community hospital in Co Clare which has suffered a number of fires in recent years.

Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) inspectors say St Joseph’s Hospital in Ennis failed to assess the risks of each resident who smoked and failed to implement control measures for these risks.

A report says the hospital failed to provide fire blankets at each smoking area and also criticised the signage in place relating to fire detection.

The report arises from an unannounced visit by Hiqa inspectors last August, five months after a serious fire in the hospital.

It says inspectors were not satisfied the hospital had acted adequately on the recommendations of an internal investigation into the March 2014 fire.

“The inspector was no satisfied that adequate risk assessments were in place for residents who consumed tobacco and while there were care plans for smoking they were vague and did not outline core controls such as the resident’s visibility and supervision required while smoking.”

The hospital houses over 100 highly dependent patients, of whom three were identified as smokers. The report says the rules on smoking were contradictory, with one care plan saying patients were not to have access to smoking materials yet a note in the nurses’ room advised staff to remove these from patients at night.

“Staff said they ‘thought’ night staff removed smoking materials from another resident but this was not specified in the care plan; staff reported that they did not have time to supervise residents while they smoked.”

Inspectors also criticised the lack of space for eating, the small size of some bedrooms and the insufficient number of showers for residents.

Most residents spent their days in bed or by their bedside.

“The available physical facilities did not provide for pleasant dining surroundings, did not enhance the social dimension of meals and did not afford residents the opportunity to communicate, interact and engage with each other.”

In response, the hospital says it has carried out risk assessments on residents who smoke, and put in place adequate supervision of smokers.