Hospital outlines quality initiative

In an effort to allay public concern about the maternity unit at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda the NEHB has outlined…

In an effort to allay public concern about the maternity unit at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda the NEHB has outlined quality assurance steps taken since October 1998 when concerns were first brought to its attention relating to Dr Michael Neary.

Dr Neary was found guilty by the Medical Council of professional misconduct and struck off the Medical Register this week.

The NEHB said it wished to "assure members of the public that Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital will continue to provide them with quality care.

"The maternity unit in the hospital will continue to provide a high standard of care to women and their families."

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The NEHB has introduced clinical audits to monitor practice and promote improvement where necessary.

Additional communication structures have been put in place to support staff in a supportive and open environment.

"This is to allow people to speak openly about any queries they may have," a spokeswoman from the NEHB said last night.

The audit results and clinical practice are compared with agreed standards and benchmarked against other national and international hospitals.

Weekly clinical meetings with multidisciplinary teams have also been introduced, according to the NEHB.

Caesarean sections are now classified and audited at weekly meetings, while cases that cause concern are immediately presented to a multidisciplinary team and reviewed.

Parentcraft reunion classes are held, and parents are invited back to speak about their birth experience or any other issues they wish to address. An audit of these reunions is carried out and relayed to a multidisciplinary team, according to the NEHB.

Ongoing education is given high priority to ensure all members of the maternity team are up to date with best clinical practice, and continuing in-service education programmes are also in place.

A quality assurance committee is in place, and standards on all the hospital wards are regularly revised, said the NEHB.

The standards are said to be in line with best practice and evidence-based research.

The board has appointed a risk adviser to whom all critical incidents are immediately reported.

Patients are asked to complete quality assurance questionnaires, and the results of customer satisfaction surveys/comments are distributed to all wards and discussed at clinical governance meetings.

Multidisciplinary meetings of midwives, medical staff, obstetricians and neonatologists are held on a regular basis to discuss infant mortality, the NEHB spokeswoman said.

External visits to other national and international hospitals are facilitated for staff. An early pregnancy assessment service was established in 2002.

A 24-hour information line is operating for concerned members of the public on 1850-24-1850.