Hiqa told Limerick nursing home to remove bolts from bedroom doors

A nursing home providing care for people with dementia in Bruree, Co Limerick, was told to remove bolts from bedroom doors by the State's health services watchdog.

The Health Information and Quality Authority's unannounced inspection of the privately-run Beech Lodge Care Facility followed the receipt of unsolicited information from external sources.

The inspection, carried out over two days in May, found management had failed to investigate serious incidents of alleged abuse.

The nursing home had 64 residents at the time and Hiqa issued an immediate and urgent action plan to ensure their welfare and safety.

Action that needed to be taken immediately included the removal of bolts from the doors of residents bedrooms in the dementia unit.

At times there was only one staff member on duty in the 15-bed dementia unit.

Minutes of staff meetings in February and April showed that senior management was unhappy with staff levels and did not want the centre to reach full capacity of 66 residents.

Staff had indicated that care standards had deteriorated and that mealtimes were particularly problematic.

There had been a staff recruitment drive in April and May to address the issues.

There was an unannounced inspection of Cobh Community Hospital in Co Cork over two days in May because of ongoing concerns for the safety and quality of life of the residents.

There were 39 residents in the centre when it was last inspected. The facility is run by a voluntary board of management and staff and a large body of volunteers help with caring for residents.

The Friends of Cobh Hospital are involved in fundraising for the hospital and the board has been working with the HSE for several weeks to resolve matters.

The inspectors found that a number of improvements had been made, including the appointment of a new person in charge on an interim basis.

However, the manager was unable to access records to evaluate what further action needed to be taken to ensure the centre was complying with the regulations and standards, an issue that has since been remedied.

The latest inspection identified significant shortcomings in complying with fire safety and garda vetting regulations and the provider was issued with two urgent and immediate action plans to address them.

One staff member was removed from the roster until the required garda vetting clearance was available.

Inspectors found that staff were embracing the changes in the centre in the interest of improving the daily lived experience of residents.

Staff were described as kind and they showed good knowledge and understanding of residents' needs.

However, inspectors found that not enough was being done to keep the centre clean. There was a strong smell in some toilets that opened up to the main corridor.

Serious shortcomings were found in Macroom Community Hospital in Co Cork, during an unannounced inspection of the HSE-run facility in April.

There were 36 residents in the centre at the time and both residents and staff were frustrated that promised renovations had not taken place.

Of 61 reports published by Hiqa, inspectors found evidence of good practice and compliance with the regulations and standards in 41 centres.