Watchdog ends audits of hospital hygiene

THE state’s health service watchdog has stopped checking hospital hygiene standards because it is overstretched.

A spokesperson for the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) blamed a lack of resources for the curtailment of its role in checking how clean hospitals are.

While its still investigates specific complaints about hospital hygiene, it had stopped carrying out national hygiene audits.

The spokesperson stressed that its work had to be prioritised within available resources.

HIQA last conducted a national audit of hospital hygiene in 2009 and it last inspected an individual hospital over a year ago.

The issue, highlighted by irishhealth.com, indicates how the recruitment moratorium is affecting a body charged with policing the health service.

HIQA has a wide-ranging and heavy workload in investigating and setting standards in areas such as hospital care, health technology, nursing homes and child care.

Investigations undertaken by the body include the recent inquiry into the failure to transport a girl to Britain for a liver transplant.

It is also examining patient care concerns at the emergency department at Tallaght Hospital in Dublin.

Stephen McMahon of the Irish Patients’ Association said it was worrying that the body charged with monitoring hygiene in hospitals was unable to do its job.

“It is very worrying that the body that is supposed to monitor hygiene in hospitals cannot do it as it is overstretched.”

Calling for action to address the issue, he said patients could be at risk of cross-infection without national hygiene audits.

“It appears that HIQA is currently being asked to perform all sorts of fire-fighting on various issues but it should also be fulfilling its remit on bread and butter issues such as hospital hygiene.”

If HIQA had a problem delivering its quality and safety programmes, then contingency plans should be put in place to ensure that the activities were being carried out, Mr McMahon said.

He also said that it was unacceptable that the audits had stopped because of a shortage of resources.

New national standards on hospital safety and quality, which will form a integral part of the Government’s plans for a licensing system, were drawn up by the authority last year.

Under the system, hospitals will be inspected regularly to assess whether they are meeting safety and quality standards to maintain their license.