HYGIENE LEVELS at a hospital in the north east where an outbreak of Clostridium difficile occurred late last year fell well short of required standards when inspected last month by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa).
A report of the inspectors’ findings at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, published yesterday, said there were no alcohol hand gels in the outpatient department or a surgical ward and staff did not take all opportunities to practise hand hygiene.
This was despite the fact that when inspectors visited on the morning of December 16th the superbug outbreak had not been declared over. However it was declared over later that day.
In all, 16 patients were confirmed to have contracted the potentially fatal Clostridium difficile infection during the outbreak. The deaths of a number of patients who contracted the infection were notified to the local coroner who will establish if the bug was a factor in their deaths.
The HSE said yesterday it took the issues raised by Hiqa very seriously. It acknowledged hygiene standards in the hospital as reported by Hiqa were unsatisfactory and said the shortcomings identified were being addressed as a matter of urgency.
The 340-bed hospital achieved over 85 per cent compliance against just one of seven hygiene standards assessed by Hiqa. This was in the area of keeping medical devices clean.
However, the inspectors’ report says in the majority of areas visited the standard of hygiene was only “fair”. In the maternity ward there was a residue with a mould-like appearance on the majority of the windows, the floor corners under the sinks, and on the ceilings and windows of the en suite shower rooms. There was also “heavy dust” on high and low surfaces.
Flaking paint and chipped walls were found in five areas and the floors in the waiting area within the outpatient department had “a layer of grime under the seating and toys were observed to be visibly unclean”.
Regarding hand hygiene, inspectors noticed staff in the emergency department had difficulties accessing sinks due to their limited number and location.
The report adds: “While the Clostridium difficile outbreak was still being managed on the day of the monitoring visit, the assessment team observed an inconsistent approach to hand hygiene in the areas visited”.
In addition clinical waste was stored in unlocked sluice rooms and there was flaking paint, broken floor tiles and dusty extractor fans in the laundry.
Overall the hospital’s hygiene levels had deteriorated since it was previously inspected by Hiqa.
Hiqa is now to meet the hospital and HSE management to discuss the outbreaks.
The HSE said: “The hospital confirms that supplies of hand-sanitising alcohol gels have been restocked throughout the hospital since December 16th. It is important to note that these gels had been temporarily removed from specific clinical areas throughout the hospital during the Clostridium difficile outbreak in order to promote hand washing”.
Fine Gael’s health spokesman Dr James Reilly said problems arising from the strain put on the hospital by the closure of services at smaller hospitals in the region were not being addressed by the HSE.