An unannounced inspection of Letterkenny General Hospital during the summer has identified a number of high risks including environmental hygiene, infrastructure, maintenance, hand hygiene, aspergillus control and safe injection practices.
A follow-up inspection a month later found no significant improvement in the overall standard of environmental hygiene.
The inspections were carried out by the Health Information and Quality Authority in June and July.
Varying levels of dust were observed in all areas and patient equipment cleaning was unsatisfactory.
Maintenance of the patient environment in the Orthopaedic Unit was of significant concern with ward wide issues related to maintenance.
Surfaces, finishes, flooring and some furnishings in patient rooms including windows, wall paintwork, woodwork, wood finishes were worn and poorly maintained and as such did not facilitate effective cleaning.
Only 55% of hand hygiene opportunities observed by inspectors were taken.