THE HSE is to redesign 14 single bedrooms at Ramelton Community Hospital after a HIQA inspection deemed the rooms “not suitable” for meeting residents’ needs.

Ramelton Community Hospital is registered to provide care to 30 male and female residents over the age of 65.

The centre is a purpose-built single storey building and residents are accommodated in a number of single and double rooms.

An unannounced inspection was carried out by HIQA on October 11, 2024, and the report was published on the HIQA website this week.

In total four regulations were inspected, one of which was compliant, one substantially compliant and two of which were deemed non-compliant.

One of the regulations deemed non-compliant was in relation to the layout of 14 single-occupancy rooms.

The inspector said the rooms were “not suitable” for meeting the residents’ needs.

“The location of the bed, chair, hand wash basin and bedside cabinet in these single rooms reduced the overall circulating space in these rooms, which did not facilitate the safe manoeuvring of specialist assistive equipment, such as a zimmer frame and hoists and was unsuitable for residents with higher dependency levels who needed to use these type of equipment,” the inspector said.

To address the issues of non-compliance and substantial compliance, the HSE will appoint a design team in 2025 which will review and design the bedroom accommodation within the centre.

These plans will be presented to HIQA in 2026 for review and consultation.

In the interim, approval has been obtained for the installation of tracking hoists in a number of the single rooms which will allow residents to remain within their bedroom if their mobility needs should vary.

Regarding residents’ personal possessions, the inspector noted that several of the smaller single-occupancy bedrooms lacked sufficient space between the bed and the door to accommodate a bedside cabinet.

“As a result, the bedside cabinets were found placed at the foot end of the bed in these bedrooms,” the inspector said.

“This arrangement hindered residents’ ability to easily reach for their personal belongings when resting in bed.

“Two residents had a number of bags and small cases on the floor or on their bedside cabinets in which they were storing their belongings because there was not enough room in the wardrobes in their bedroom.”

To ensure that residents have access to their personal possessions a review of resident’s bedroom furniture has taken place and residents have been provided with a new locker which allows residents to have access and control of their personal possessions.

Overall, the centre was found to be well-managed and the residents’ feedback was highly positive about the care and services provided in the centre.

Residents who spoke with the inspectors said that they felt safe in the centre and that the staff were friendly and helpful at all times.

The provider implemented appropriate management systems to ensure the safe and effective monitoring of the care and service provided to residents.

Residents’ meetings were held regularly, and they were consulted about their care needs and the overall quality of the service.

The centre had a full-time activities coordinator who ensured that residents were actively involved in meaningful social interactions and activities based on their individual interests and abilities.

Residents had access to advocacy services in the centre and were also able to participate in the running of the designated centre through resident meetings and resident feedback questionnaires.

Frank Morrison, Head of Service, Older Persons, HSE Community Services Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan, Sligo said: “We will continue to work with HIQA to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements in all designated Older Persons residential services.”