Harney sets hospitals new hygiene target as audit reveals improvements
A second national audit of 53 hospitals, published in July, found 32 hospitals received a good rating, compared to five in the first audit. The report rated 19 hospitals as fair, compared to 23 in the first audit and two were considered poor, compared to 26 in the first.
“I expect in a short time that every single hospital will meet a minimum standard of 85%, which is regarded as a good score,” Ms Harney declared at the presentation of awards to St Luke’s Hospital in Dublin and Mallow General Hospital in Cork and the Midlands Hospital in Mullingar yesterday.
The awards were organised by the Irish Patients Association (IPA) and were based on the results of the National Hygiene Audits.
The first audit was published in November 2005.
“There is no reason why hospitals should not operate to the highest possible standards, as far as hygiene is concerned. It is not a resource issue,” Ms Harney stressed.
Ms Harney welcomed the IPA’s decision to acknowledge the hospitals that had done so well. “Excellence should be saluted and acknowledged,” she said.
Ms Harney was also delighted there was now a real competitive spirit among the hospitals. “I think league tables of that kind do encourage people to perform better,” she said.
IPA chairperson, Stephen McMahon, said hygiene was one of a number of activities that must be mastered to overcome hospital-acquired infections, particularly MRSA.
“What has been achieved to date is a good start. However, there is a long road ahead of us. Today’s awards are our way of saying thank you to all the staff that have helped make this happen,” he said.
Mallow General became the winner of the first national hygiene audit. While the Cork hospital was knocked off the top spot for having the cleanest hospital by St Luke’s, it continued to increase its score from 88 to 91.
Before Ms Harney left St Luke’s she was approached by a cancer patient, Joseph Guilfoyle from Waterford, who urged her to scrap plans to transfer cancer treatment facilities over to St James’s Hospital in Dublin from 2011.
He and other in-patients wanted the services to be retained in St Luke’s. “We have a lovely hospital here and she is closing it down in five years’ time,” he said.
Mr Guilfoyle handed the minister what he described as the first tranche of a petition. He managed to collect the names of 2,000 people in two days who wanted to keep cancer treatment facilities at St Luke’s. He now intends conducting a nationwide petition.
“I have been here [in the hospital] for five weeks now and have another two weeks to go.
“After two days everyone here is just one big happy family,” he said.
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