Survey exposes hospital crisis plans

A SURVEY of 12 acute hospitals found all had haphazard plans which left staff unclear about what to do in the event of an internal disaster such as fire or flooding.

It also found one-in-five hospitals had never tested external emergency plans which deal with major disasters such as plane and bus crashes.

Roisin Boland, chief executive of the Irish Health Services Accreditation Board (IHSAB), the body behind the survey, said hospital staff were unsure of where to transfer patients in the event of an internal emergency.

“There was uncertainty about who they should call on in the event of a fire or, if there was a need for evacuation, when and where they should transfer patients to safely.”

For major external emergencies, one-in-five hospitals surveyed had only draft or unapproved and untested plans.

Ms Boland said there was need for further work in developing these plans, especially when they link into the regional disaster plan.

“Because the plans were untested, we have to ask, would staff really know how to respond? People may know what their role is meant to be, but without running through the practicalities of a test, would it really work?” she asked.

All the hospitals with poor internal disaster plans had addressed the deficits or were working to bring them up to standard, in the 18 months since the IHSAB inspections, Ms Boland said.