PPE training shortcomings at Cork nursing home hit by Covid deaths

Hiqa report found gaps in mandatory training, nine months into pandemic

Photo: Yui Mok/PA Wire

A number of staff at one of the Cork nursing homes where residents died recently after contracting Covid-19 had not received PPE training nearly nine months into the pandemic.

According to the Health Information and Quality Authority, others working at Bon Secours Care Village, Mount Desert, Lee Road in Cork, had not attended Covid-19 training.

Inspectors discovered this during an unannounced visit to the home on November 17 last year.

At the start of February, the Irish Examiner reported that more than 30 residents of four Cork nursing homes and a community hospital in Kerry had died in just two weeks following outbreaks of the virus.

Between January 21 and January 26, eight residents of the Bon Secours Care Village died.

In addition, six residents of Amberley Nursing Home in Fermoy, which Hiqa also inspected, all died within days of each other over a 12-day period between January 18 and January 29.

Hiqa — which found Bon Secours Care Village to be well run and compliant with almost all standards it was inspected for — said:

Inspectors found there were gaps in some mandatory training from the records provided to them on the day of the inspection.

"Records showed that a number of staff had not undertaken hand hygiene training, a large percentage of staff had not undertaken PPE training, and others had not attended Covid-19 training.

"Five staff did not have fire training. While responsive behaviour training was provided to care staff, pastoral care and catering staff did not have this completed even though they could be in contact with residents on a daily basis.

"Staff supervision was inadequate to be assured that the service provided was safe, appropriate, and afforded residents choice."

Unsupervised chemicals

Inspectors also found that chemicals were left on cleaning trolleys unsupervised.

"This could present a risk to residents who were confused and may take the chemicals and use inappropriately," inspectors noted.

Hiqa also carried out an announced visit to Amberley Home and Retirement Cottages at short notice on 18 November, 2020.

It also found the home to be well run and compliant with almost all the standards for which it was inspected.

However, inspectors found that "there a number of infection control matters which required attention in order to ensure that the infection control processes outlined in the standards and in the centre's Covid-19 contingency plan were fully adhered to".

It did note that, overall, policies on infection control had been amended since the pandemic crisis and were found to be in line with the current guidelines.