Connacht Tribune
HIQA questions quality and safety of care at nursing home
Residents with dementia were ordered to sit down, had their cigarettes confiscated and were fed from behind by staff who were found to be ‘disrespectful and inappropriate’ in a litany of adverse findings during an unannounced re-inspection at Corrandulla Nursing Home.
Inspectors from the Health Information and Quality Association (HIQA) visited the home last September following concerns raised to the Office of the Chief Inspector about the capabilities of the management team that were having a direct negative impact on the quality and safety of care.
Inspectors were not satisfied that there were sufficient measures in place to protect the 23 residents living in the home from being harmed or suffering abuse.
“Evidence found during this inspection did substantiate these concerns. Inspectors found that there were inadequate governance and management systems and poor oversight arrangements in place to ensure that the service provided to residents was safe, appropriate, consistent and met regulatory requirements. There continued to be repeated regulatory non-compliances from the previous inspection dated January 2019,” the report stated.
A judgment of “major non-compliance” was found in six of the eight outcomes inspected, which focused on the care and welfare of residents who had dementia. An urgent action plan was issued to the nursing home owner in relation to fire precautions with “immediate and sustained improvements” needed in the other areas to meet the requirements of the Health Act 2007.
The interaction between staff and residents makes for uncomfortable reading.
A resident was told to ‘sit down’ in a tone of voice described as ‘inappropriate’.
Following an altercation between two residents, a staff member asked the resident ‘are you five?’.
One resident had their cigarette supply restricted, even though the person became agitate when they could not smoke.
Residents were assisted with their meals “in an inappropriate, unsafe and disrespectful manner”, the report found.
“Inspectors observed a member of staff assisting a resident with their meal. The resident was lying on their side facing the opposite direction. The resident could not see the person who was feeding them. The only conversation heard by the inspector was the direction ‘open your mouth’.”
During meal times there was minimal interaction by care staff who offered no choice to residents.
“Staff stood in front of residents while assisting them with their meals, rather than sitting next to them. The radio was played at a high volume and was not conducive to a relaxed and social dining experience. Residents were not consulted in relation to what they wished to listen to.”
HIQA criticised the fact there were no activities schedule in place for residents who wished to remain in their bedrooms.
There was a failure to ensure and uphold residents rights’ to privacy and dignity by using CCTV in the communal rooms where residents interacted with their visitors.
Inspectors found staff were not administering medicines in line with guidelines, with doses of prescribed antibiotics omitted and oxygen and fluids given without a valid prescription.
A sample of six residents’ files found that clinical risk assessments had not been completed. Nutritional assessments were calculated using incorrect measurements. One resident who was assessed to be at high risk of developing pressure wounds did not have a skin integrity care plan in place. Another who was reviewed by a dietitian following weight loss did not have the recommendations of the dietitian documented in the nutritional care plan or communicated to the catering team.
Following a meeting, management of the home had agreed to review and update care plans for all residents. They said they had increased staffing levels by 50% which would continue.
Fire training was updated and policy and procedures were reviewed with drill techniques practised on site.
The inspectors found the location of fire equipment was not indicated on the fire floor plans and the fire exit from the unit had moss and no hand rails would could cause a delay in the event of an emergency.
The nursing home was given until the end of December 2019 to address all the issues and will be inspected again to ensure full compliance with the regulations.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
