A Dublin nursing home which Health Service Executive inspectors recommended twice last year be deregistered is being allowed to continue to operate, subject to certain conditions.
Inspection reports on Rathfarnham Nursing Home carried out last year show the home had insufficient staff, it was cold and a brochure for the premises misrepresented the facilities, including the claim that it was in beautiful surroundings.
The home, at Stocking Lane, Rathfarnham, was highlighted last year when a coroner's court heard two patients who died there of natural causes were buried before death certificates were issued for them. The inquest was unable to determine the precise causes of death. The HSE said yesterday it had decided to reregister the home, despite the concerns of inspectors. But it said conditions were now attached to its registration.
"It was felt, in consultation with the home, that it would be in the best interests of residents to keep the home open on condition that various conditions were adhered to," a HSE spokesman said.
The proprietor of the home, Joan Singh, said yesterday all matters of concern to the authorities had now been put right.
Inspection reports on the home were released to The Irish Times this week under the Freedom of Information Act.
Their release was delayed after Ms Singh appealed the HSE's decision to release them to the Office of the Information Commissioner. However, the Information Commissioner deemed that her appeal had not been made as she did not pay the required fee.
The reports document concerns that there were more patients in the home than it was registered for, that a nurse who had only been in the home twice was left to work unsupervised on a 12-hour shift from 8am to 8pm, that the front door of the home was left open, and that the local health board had not been notified of all deaths.
An inspection on April 27th, 2005, noted there was just one nurse and two carers rostered on the afternoon shift. "Because of the numbers of highly dependent residents in the nursing home, the inspection team continue to have concerns in relation to the staffing levels, particularly on the 2pm-8pm shift. There is no contingency plan in place for dealing with the unexpected," it said.
On May 10th, 2005, inspectors found "the front door of the nursing home was open . . . the grounds around the nursing home are being developed for housing and apartments and pose a very serious risk to elderly residents should they wander out of the home". The inspection team felt cold and and found most radiators in the reception area and bedrooms were turned off.
The inspectors recommended the home not be reregistered, as they had in February 2005.
An inspection on February 7th, 2005, noted that the nurse on duty did not know the exact number of residents in her care and this was "a serious health and safety risk". Another inspection on February 17th, 2005, also found the front door open and staffing levels insufficient.
Ms Singh said yesterday she now had extra staff, even though she always believed staffing levels were adequate.She said radiators might be turned off on a warm day and claimed even if the front door was open an inner door would be locked.
She also contended the home never had more residents than it was registered for.
On failing to notify the HSE of deaths, she said: "I can't remember not doing it because it's automatically done every single time". The HSE said a recent inspection on the home indicated "vast improvements". It will continue to monitor it.