Bloodstains found on ICU machine during hospital inspection

Bloodstains on a machine in South Tipperary General Hospital’s intensive care unit and red stains on a mattress and pillow were discovered during an audit of the hospital’s three units.

Hiqa inspectors have said the standard of environmental hygiene at South Tipperary General Hospital is “sub-optimal” while “unacceptable” levels of dust are an ongoing issue.

The findings were contained in a report on an unannounced inspection of the 193-bed hospital in Clonmel which took place last month and which also noted that just 54% of doctors had attended hand-hygiene training during the previous 12 months.