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A SURPRISE inspection at the Regional Maternity Hospital in Limerick by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQUA) found that hand hygiene at the hospital was below standard.
In a report published this week, the health services standards authority observed that out of twenty occasions when staff should have washed their hands, they only did so on thirteen and of those, only five met with the proper procedure for hospital hygiene.
Hand hygiene is recognised internationally as “the single most important preventative measure” in keeping cross infection in hospitals at bay, the HIQUA report said and it went on to express concern that “the level of compliance with hand hygiene practices in Mid Western Regional Maternity poses a risk to patient”.
Inspectors found there were opportunities for improvement in cleanliness identified in both clinical areas and the OPD and that healthcare waste was not managed in line with the HSE national guidelines.
Responding to the criticisms, the HSE issued a statement in which is said: “Much of the audit was extremely positive and complimentary of the service and the staff involved in its delivery”.
But despite much emphasis on hand hygiene in our hospital, we are disappointed that we were observed to have suboptimal levels of hand hygiene compliance on the day in question. Since the audit, much work has been ongoing in this area”.
Improvement measures include re-training and refresher courses in hand hygiene have now been delivered for all staff and any sinks which do not meet the hygiene requirements will be replaced.
“We acknowledge that significant improvement in this area is required and we are fully committed to ensuring that we achieve the necessary improvement,” the statement said.
