Nenagh Hospital, in Co Tipperary
Eilish O'Regan

Three of Ireland's major hospitals reported to have serious infection risks

Inspectors say patients are at serious risk of infection or scalding, while some medical equipment was dirty and staff failed to wash their hands

By Healthcare Facilities Today


Inspectors who visited the Mater, Tallaght and St Vincent's hospitals have found failures by staff to follow basic infection-control rules, according to an article on the Independent website.

The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) report follows a previous unfavorable inspections of other major hospitals.

The report, following inspections in August, again found that doctors were not washing their hands between treating patients, while staff followed key infection-control protection on just nine of the 17 times they were observed, the article said. The inspectors discovered a "black substance" in some shower areas, unclean hand sinks and "unlabelled syringes" containing unknown solutions that posed a risk of injury.

The article quoted the report warning: "Observations suggest that a culture of hand-hygiene practice is not embedded at all levels, especially among staff practices observed by the authority on St Joseph's ward."

Read the article.

 

 

 



October 24, 2013


Topic Area: Safety


Recent Posts

How Digital Technologies Are Reshaping Performance in Healthcare Facilities

AI can hyper-optimize hospital operations, change the patient experience and make data-driven intelligence a foundation of hospital design.


The Role of Plumbing in Healthcare-Associated Infections

Water and plumbing systems are a dangerous source of pathogens and bacteria, so the CDC has created a set of guidelines to develop a proper water management program.


Ground Broken on AdventHealth Weaverville Hospital

The first phase includes 67 beds and will provide emergency care, medical-surgical inpatient services, intensive care, labor and delivery and advanced imaging.


Making the Energy Efficiency Case to the C-Suite

Hospital executives often wrestle with energy decisions made today that either free up budget for patient care or drain resources that could go elsewhere.


Northwell Health Partners with APM Steam to Reduce Energy Consumption

Case study: Northwell Health reduces energy consumption with APM Steam’s proactive maintenance program.


 
 


FREE Newsletter Signup Form

News & Updates | Webcast Alerts
Building Technologies | & More!

 
 
 


All fields are required. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.