Court shuts nursing home down after unsupervised patients seriously injured

A CO Wicklow nursing home where vulnerable residents sustained serious injury when left unsupervised has been shut down on foot of a court order.

Glenbervie Nursing Home in Bray was effectively struck off in Bray District Court yesterday after the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) took action against it for its ongoing failure to properly look after about 30 patients in its care.

Over the course of four inspections between September 2009 and March this year, HIQA found:

* One resident had fractured a hip following a fall in the bathroom where she should have been supervised but was not.

* Another resident fell and cut and bruised her face. Staff were not clear about the level of supervision she required, leaving inspectors “seriously concerned” for her safety.

* One resident with challenging behaviour had been sedated on 18 occasions over 11 days without an appropriate record being maintained. The daily nursing notes reviewed by the inspectors stated the resident was calm and settled and did not identify incidents where additional medication was required.

* A resident who was on antibiotics for a chest infection had not been receiving his regularly prescribed nebuliser (inhaled medication for respiratory illness), the consequences of which could be serious for the resident.

* A nurse administering eye drops did not wash her hands.

* One staff member recruited as a kitchen assistant was working as a care assistant. She had no previous experience in the role. Another had no Garda vetting and no proof of identity save a copy of her library card.

Inspectors remained concerned throughout the six-month inspection period that, despite assurances from the provider, Noel Gillooly, improvements to care were inadequate.

Issues raised included Mr Gillooly having control of residents’ finances/pensions, leaving some feeling they had lost their independence; no evidence of a formal auditing and monitoring system of accidents and incidents; and no interventions in place to minimise and manage behaviours that challenge.

Inspectors also noted sharing of towels among residents and that some towels were used to clean bedrooms and bathrooms.

Staff members informed inspectors that, out of the 32 staff employed, 11 were from five families who are closely related to each other. “This was identified to the provider as a risk as there were no systems in place which would ensure the safety and welfare of residents over family loyalty,” inspectors said.

A notice of Proposal to Cancel Registration was issued to Mr Gillooly on January 27, 2010. In March, a decision was made to apply for an ex-parte interim order to cancel the registration of the home. The order was made permanent yesterday and was not contested by Mr Gillooly.

The HSE was tasked with making suitable alternative care arrangement for the residents of Glenbervie and this was completed last Friday. Mr Gillooly co-operated fully.