Measures introduced to safeguard residents

AN ACTION plan has been introduced at a nursing home in Kilrush after an inspection undertaken by the Health and Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) last February identified a number of concerns.

Kilrush District Hospital Limited secretary, John Hehir told The Clare Champion that the facility never had any major issues raised by the HSE before the introduction of new standards for all residential facilities. He also pointed out that a HIQA inspector contacted the facility to praise them for the prompt implementation of their action plan.
According to the HIQA report, inspectors found 17 residents restrained in Buxton chairs without adequate exploration of alternatives to restraint, care planning or appropriate risk assessment.
The provider was also required to take immediate action to change medication management practices, while care plans needed improvement to include continence management, wound management, falls’ risk assessment and therapeutic support for patients with dementia.
Other areas that required improvement included arrangements for the management of challenging behaviour, the directory of residents, the complaints process, choice at meal times, management of cleaning and hygiene and infection control measures.
Since then, 12 of the 17 Buxton chairs have been removed, a monitoring record was introduced for the remaining five to ensure residents were provided with an opportunity for motion. New replacement chairs were provided at the end of March following the completion of an occupational therapy assessment.
Individual GPs were contacted to review all residents’ medication, resident photographs were included with medication errors and nurses were given medication management guidelines as well as starting medication management training on March 19.
Staffing levels, rotas and working hours will be completely reviewed by the end of May and staff are being provided with specialist training to ensure that residents are not placed at risk or harm or abuse.
A schedule has been developed to cater for indoor and outdoor activities taking into account the needs of residents.
Mr Hehir noted that in addition to having up to 30 people on a waiting list to get into the facility, he said 95% of clients are medical card patients who are provided with a high standard of care for less than other nursing homes charge.
He stressed Buxton chairs are not used as a means of restraint, that no issue was raised previously about drug medication and that they had addressed every issue highlighted in the report.
Stating that over €2 million has been invested in the voluntary-run facility over the past 23 years, he noted the board of directors reduced bed numbers to 52 as part of a recent major upgrading project.
According to the report, relatives of patients praised the services at the hospital as well as the staff who they described them as kind and caring, treating patients with respect.