HSE concerned over safety issues at Naas ospital

The Health and Safety Authority has asked management at Naas General Hospital to take steps to improve safety for its staff and patients.

The authority identified 12 safety issues that needed to be addressed at the hospital including overcrowding in the accident and emergency department, safety training and accident investigation.

The health and safety report, obtained by The Irish Times under the Freedom of Information Act, said inspectors were concerned at the loading of corridors in the hospital's A&E unit with patient trolleys, chairs, catering trolleys and medical equipment.

It also said that the risk assessment with regards to mitigating violence and aggression at the hospital was inadequate and would need to be revised.

During their inspection in March, HSA inspectors Sheena Notley and Thomas Doyle found that there were no static alerts in the A&E unit or at reception and that nurses were the only members of staff wearing personnel alerts. They said that the response time to the activation of a personnel alert during their inspection was over three minutes and they asked management to consider whether this was an adequate response.

They also found that the treatment area in A&E was accessible to the public through unsecured doors and it recommended that secure doors be put in place and that there should be a full-time security presence in the unit.

The report also said that the inspectors found a clinical waste bag lining a domestic waste bin and recommended that the hospital's clinic waste management policy be reinforced with staff.

The inspection of the Naas hospital was part of a study undertaken by the HSA in 11 hospitals around the country.