UNIVERSITY Hospital Limerick (UHL) has said that overcrowding is one of the most significant problems when it comes to controlling infections spread among in-patients.
A hospital spokesman warned that Covid infections in the the wider UL Hospitals Group (ULHG) are still a major concern, with more than 300 in-hospital infections recorded within group hospitals up to August 24 this year.
The spokesman was responding to a recent report which revealed that UHL had a higher than average rate of patients being diagnosed with infections, including Covid, while being treated in-hospital for an unrelated complaint, according to a new EU-wide snapshot survey.
The report from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre, taken in May 2023, covers patients in all acute hospitals nationally, as well as private hospitals. It found 932 patients nationwide had an active healthcare-acquired infection (HAI) – an average rate of 7.4 per cent.
In Limerick, UHL had an infection rate of 11 per cent, while Croom Orthopaedic Hospital saw 12.3 per cent of patients catching one or more infections while in hospital.
University Maternity Hospital Limerick had a rate of 2.2 per cent, while the Bon Secours private facility in the county and Ennis Hospital both got a clean slate with zero per cent infections at the time of the survey.
Responding to the report, a spokesman said that “overcrowding and a combination of the lack of bed capacity, older infrastructure, and multi-bedded bays are major contributing factors to a person’s risk of acquiring infection whilst in hospital”.
He added that “it is noteworthy that the risk of Covid-19 acquisition whilst in hospital continues to pose a problem for all acute hospitals”.
“Up to August 24 this year, ULHG has reported 333 HAI Covid infections, accounting for a significant portion of the total reported numbers of HAI.
“All of our hospital sites follow the HSE’s national screening policies for antimicrobial-resistant micro-organisms. These allow us to appropriately isolate or cohort patients, and improve the treatment options in the event of any patient developing a clinical infection”.
The spokesman pointed out that the report also outlines how the majority of aquired infections were already present when patients were admitted to UHL from other acute hospitals or from nursing homes.
“During their most recent inspection of University Hospital Limerick (UHL) against the national standards for the prevention of healthcare-associated infections, HIQA found no areas of non-compliance. Inspectors found that there were clear lines of accountability and responsibility concerning the prevention and control of healthcare-associated infection (HAI) at the hospital,” the spokesman said.
