Hospital hygiene improvements ‘underway’

WORK is underway to improve hygiene standards at Kerry General Hospital (KGH), Tralee, according to the Health Service Executive (HSE).

There was controversy when the hospital was ranked in the bottom five in the first national hospitals’ hygiene audit last October, but KGH manager Margie Lynch yesterday said a lot of work had been done since then.

She said staff and management were committed to implementing the hygiene audit’s recommendations.

On a visit to Kerry last Friday, Tanaiste and Health Minister Mary Harney said hospital hygiene was not a question of resources, but something for management of hospitals.

Ms Harney said it was the responsibility of management to ensure the hospital was run efficiently and had the highest possible hygiene standards.

The second hygiene audit into 54 hospitals countrywide, including KGH, began yesterday. Areas being examined include waste management, technical support, infection control, health and safety and cleaning services.

Meanwhile, the KGH executive management board has set up a multi-disciplinary hospital hygiene group to ensure that highest standards are applied, the HSE said.

The group - including representatives of nursing, management, portering, catering, housekeeping, paramedics, bio-medical engineering, maintenance, materials management, environment health and infection control - has prepared a short, medium and long-term hospital hygiene action plan and meets weekly. The HSE said education and training had been improved and infection control policies had been reviewed to meet national standards.

A spokesperson said that since January they had replaced equipment, upgraded domestic and clinical waste bins and the clinical waste storage area.

She said they had also provided glove and apron dispensers in all areas, replaced drip stands, provided stainless steel trolleys for the catering department, provided new linen skips and linen bags and new cleaning equipment, including vacuum cleaners, steamers and mops.

Also yesterday, consultant obstetrician/gynaecologist at KGH, Dr Mary Caffrey said there was anger at Ms Harney’s failure to visit the hospital on Friday.

It would have been an opportunity for Ms Harney to see first hand that resources were scarce at the hospital, she said.