Infection control at Kilkenny hospital criticised

A HSE-run hospital in Kilkenny has been criticised for not having all “essential elements” of an infection prevention and control programme in place.

Following an unannounced inspection by the Health Information and Quality Authority, governance and management arrangements around the prevention and control of healthcare-associated infection at St Luke’s General Hospital were found to be not aligned to the current Ireland East Hospital Group governance structure.

Inspectors found that the implementation of a comprehensive infection prevention and control programme was limited by the daily need to address the placement of patients requiring isolation in a frequently overcrowded hospital with poor inpatient accommodation infrastructure and a lack of isolation facilities.