Patient left waiting for 67 hours on Mercy hospital trolley — Hiqa report
Mercy Hospital had an unannounced inspection in March. Picture: Larry Cummins
Health watchdog inspectors found patients waiting between 18 and 49 hours in the emergency department (ED) at the Mercy Hospital in Cork, and were not assured “measures were effective to protect people attending the ED from risk of harm”.
They found one person waiting 67 hours and three patients aged over 75 waiting longer than 24 hours on a trolley, during an unannounced inspection in March.
They also found eight of the 13 patients aged over 75 had been waiting longer than six hours, while 10 in this age group had been waiting longer than nine hours.
In all they found 28 registered patients on trolleys waiting for a hospital bed, and 10 of these had been waiting over 24 hours.
Inspectors with the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) went to the ED in Mercy University Hospital and also to the local injury unit known as the Mercy Injury Unit in Gurranabraher.
Standards were assessed in four areas — infection prevention and control, medication safety, the deteriorating patient (including sepsis)and transitions of care.
“There was limited access to shower facilities for patients located within the emergency department, especially when considering long waiting times in the department, with some exceeding 24 hours and up to 67 hours on the day on inspection,” the report shows.
While patients praised staff for trying to help them when speaking with inspectors, they also talked about the negative impact wait times "had on the dignity and respect afforded to them".
Others struggled to find toilets or power points to connect mobile phone chargers and keep in touch with their families.
“Despite these conditions, inspectors observed staff actively engaging with patients in a respectful and kind way and taking the time to talk, listen to and support with mobility and personal care appropriate to their needs,” the reports states.
However, the inspectors said the impact of the delays affected “dignity, privacy and confidentiality for most of the patients in the emergency department”.
The hospital was also found non-compliant with standards around protecting patients “from the risk of harm associated with the design and delivery of healthcare services”.
One issue was the placing of trolleys on “narrow busy corridors”, with potential fire safety risks around entry or leaving the ED.
This was raised during the visit and acted on, the inspectors noted.
Concerns were also raised around pressure on beds caused by delays to discharging already recovered patients.
“On the day of inspection, the hospital had 20 delayed discharges (11 at the Mercy University Hospital site and nine in St Francis’ unit on the St Mary’s Health campus),” Hiqa found.
The hospital said this was for a mix of reasons, including some patients having complex needs, but was also linked to limited access to step-down, rehabilitation and transitional beds in the region around the hospital.
On Tuesday, Hiqa also published a report from April on the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital. Inspectors found corporate and clinical governance supported “the delivery of high-quality, safe and reliable healthcare”.
They found staffing levels were being monitored, but recommended the hospital continue with recruitment plans.
They noted "the shortfall in staff vacancies and the reliance on locum medical staff to maintain the out-of-hours medical registrar roster”. Both reports can be read on Hiqa's website.
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