HIQA publish results of Dungarvan Community Hospital inspection

Results have been released from an unannounced inspection of Dungarvan Community Hospital which was undertaken on October 15, 2024.

The hospital was found to be compliant or substantially compliant in most areas inspected, however, it was not compliant in governance and management.

The overall feedback from all residents who spoke with the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) inspectors on the day, was that they were happy and liked living in Dungarvan Community Hospital.

Residents spoken to were highly complimentary of the centre and the care they received.

One resident told the inspectors that the centre's staff ''were always around you'' while another complimented the prompt call bell response times stating ''any time you ring the bell, you're looked after''.

The inspectors observed warm, kind, compassionate, dignified and respectful interactions with residents throughout the day by all staff and management.

Staff were seen to be respectful and courteous towards residents.

Group-based activities were observed taking place in the day rooms on each unit.

Notwithstanding the efforts of the activities coordinators, a small number of residents informed the inspectors that there were insufficient activities geared towards their interests and capacities.

One resident informed the inspectors they were often bored, while a second resident stated ''residents in a place like this need activity. I'd love a game of draughts''.

The facility was marked non-compliant in governance and management.

The report read: “Management systems and oversight in the centre were not sufficiently robust to ensure the service was effectively monitored."

It was noted that the provider had made changes to the function of a number of rooms without informing the Office of the Chief Inspector.

Additionally, it was noted that the auditing system was not fully effective in identifying risks and driving quality improvement.

Regarding the premises itself, some areas required maintenance, repair and review.

The decor in some areas, including resident bedrooms, bathrooms, and corridors, was showing signs of wear and tear. There were also damaged floors to a number of areas.

A shower door was seen missing two of its panels and a toilet in a female multi-occupancy en-suite bedroom was missing a toilet seat.

It was outlined that some areas would require attention to ensure residents were protected from infection and the decontamination of resident care equipment required review.