Poor infection control among nine issues found at Cork nursing home

On February 11, inspectors found that many of the key staff who had helped run Ballynoe Nursing Home in 2020 had left, with almost all of the remaining staff either out sick with Covid-19 or self-isolating

Of the 17 regulations Ballynoe Nursing Home was inspected for in February, Hiqa found that it was not fully compliant with nine of these, including in the areas of governance and infection control. Picture: Carechoice.ie

A Co. Cork nursing home where at least 21 residents died from Covid-19 has been criticised by Hiqa for its poor infection control, inadequate staff training, and failure to inform authorities of nine of the deaths within the required timeframe.

The health watchdog said that on its February 11 visit, by which stage 19 residents had passed away, staff were seen congregating in the narrow hallways without appropriate adherence to social distancing. Inspectors also found that the storage of PPE with cleaning items meant that the PPE could potentially be cross-contaminated.