A RESIDENT of a private Convoy nursing home wandered into an unsecured storage room containing chemicals and medication during an unannounced inspection.
While this incident was addressed by the staff nurse on duty at Brentwood Manor Nursing Home after HIQA inspectors brought the incident to their attention, the inspectors were dissatisfied by a number of other findings during the two-day inspection. They found a communal bath was left visibly stained, and it was unclear if it had been cleaned after use. Footrests of hoists were also visibly unclean.
“The infection prevention and control processes that were in place did not adequately address risks associated with the transmission of health care-associated infections and the environment and equipment was not managed in a way that minimised the risk of transmitting a healthcare-associated infection,” states the report.
Published this week, report findings found 11 of 14 regulations were found non compliant following the inspection in November 2022.
Governance and management was deemed not compliant.
“Inspectors found that there were not sufficient staff available to supervise the resident as they wandered around the unit. Inspectors also found that staff from both units were required to complete laundry at night which staff reported took up to an hour to complete. The laundry facility was located in a separate external building and staff were required to leave the residents regularly during the night to attend to laundry tasks. This posed a risk to residents as it further reduced the number of staff who were available to provide care and support for residents in the centre.”
The inspectors deemed risk was not appropriately managed in the centre and resulted in a culture of over restrictive and institutional practices, which were negatively impacting on residents’ quality of life, rights and well-being.
The report states: “Residents’ rights to exercise choice in how and where they spent their day was not respected.
The inspectors found from review of residents’ care records that they did not have any opportunity to participate in social activities for several days at a time. For example, one resident aged under 65 years did not have opportunity to engage in a social activity from in over a two-week period.
The provider, The Brindley Manor Federation of Nursing Homes Limited, had completed just three out of 17 of the actions in their compliance plan from the previous inspection in May 2022.
Staffing levels were also deemed not compliant. Inspectors found that two staff nurses and four care staff roistered each night was not adequate staffing resources to ensure residents’ needs were met at night. Nearly 50 per cent of falls by residents occurred between 8pm and 8am and most were not witnessed by staff. Inspectors found that while action was taken by the provider since the last inspection in May 2022 to address fire precaution more work was needed.
On a positive note, inspectors found that staff in both units worked hard to provide care and support for the residents.
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