More Irish hospitals needed second inspection for poor hygiene last year

12th of April 2016
More Irish hospitals needed second inspection for poor hygiene last year

One in five hospitals inspected in 2015 required a follow-up inspection for poor hygiene and maintenance, compared to one in 10 hospitals in 2014, according to a Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) report.

Thirty-nine unannounced inspections were carried out by HIQA in 32 public acute hospitals between January 2015 and December 2015.

During the course of the 39 inspections, 64 clinical areas were inspected including high-risk areas such as operating theatres, endoscopy suites, haematology, oncology, intensive care and coronary care units.

Seven of the 32 hospitals inspected required a follow-up inspection primarily due to poor hygiene standards observed during inspections and poor maintenance and management of the environment and facilities.

In six of the seven re-inspections, hospitals had addressed most of the risks identified. However in one re-inspected hospital, no improvement in the standard of environmental hygiene was recorded.

"A clean and safe hospital environment is a fundamental expectation of patients, staff and visitors," said Susan Cliffe, head of healthcare at HIQA.

"An acceptable standard of basic cleanliness is both essential and achievable with better management and oversight of cleaning performance".

 

Our Partners

  • ISSA Interclean
  • EFCI
  • EU-nited