HIQA Report into WRH

Gael23

http://www.rte.ie/news/2013/0816/468525-hiqa-hygiene-reports/
The findings of this report are pretty damning. Its scandalous that hygiene at a hospital can be allowed to drop to such awful standards.

BBM77

One government body reporting on poor standards, another government body cutting funding therefore making it harder to meet standards sought by the first government body.

Sully

BBM77 wrote: »

One government body reporting on poor standards, another government body cutting funding therefore making it harder to meet standards sought by the first government body.

Can't blame budgets for basic cleanliness standards! Do you need to be paid to tidy away after you, to clean your hands, to secure stuff? Basic common sense applies. WRH isn't the only hospital, plenty more have been pulled in the past and no doubt will again

BBM77

Sully wrote: »

Can't blame budgets for basic cleanliness standards! Do you need to be paid to tidy away after you, to clean your hands, to secure stuff? Basic common sense applies. WRH isn't the only hospital, plenty more have been pulled in the past and no doubt will again

You can when staff are probably under so much pressure because of recruitment embargos and ministers directing funding to their constituency instead of where it is needed most.

Sully

BBM77 wrote: »

You can when staff are probably under so much pressure because of recruitment embargos and ministers directing funding to their constituency instead of where it is needed most.

So staff can basically throw the basic rules, the simple stuff, just because their department is under a lot of pressure? I disagree. Washing your hands is one of the most basic simple easy requirements as is tidying up after yourself.

None of this should come down to money. A clean hospital and a tidy hospital should remain regardless. Its not that difficult and its the most basic patient care. Essential care.

deisemum

There's been hygiene problems there for years and there have been numerous patients and visitors on wlr over what they've witnessed in this regard.

There's no excuse for not following proper procedures, no surprise patients go into hospital with one thing and often contract something like MRSA, the vomiting bug or a whole host of other things to compromise their health.

Gael23

Sully wrote: »

Can't blame budgets for basic cleanliness standards! Do you need to be paid to tidy away after you, to clean your hands, to secure stuff? Basic common sense applies. WRH isn't the only hospital, plenty more have been pulled in the past and no doubt will again

BBM77 wrote: »

You can when staff are probably under so much pressure because of recruitment embargos and ministers directing funding to their constituency instead of where it is needed most.

Funding constraints is not a valid argument for a somewhere, especially a hospital, not to be kept clean.
Part of it is most likely down to bad practice and procedures not being followed but cleaning standards standards in a hospital should not be compromised due to budget reductions.

wendydoll

Its the smell of stale blood that gets me. I would love to walk into the hospital and get a whiff of dettol just once.

I know staff are under pressure etc but jesus no-one wants to go into hospital for some low risk procedure and end up with MRSA.

Visitors are no help either though. You shouldn't allow visit one ward and then pop up to visit so and so's newborn baby. God only know what you'd be carrying up with ya

Gael23

wendydoll wrote: »

Its the smell of stale blood that gets me. I would love to walk into the hospital and get a whiff of dettol just once.

I know staff are under pressure etc but jesus no-one wants to go into hospital for some low risk procedure and end up with MRSA.

Visitors are no help either though. You shouldn't allow visit one ward and then pop up to visit so and so's newborn baby. God only know what you'd be carrying up with ya

There was never such a thing as MRSA when the nuns ran hospitals! It's true that going in there you could well end up with an infection you didn't have going in there.

Nypd

Isn't the cleaning of the hospital contracted out to a company?

Why is this company allowed to maintain such low standards !

Sully

Nypd wrote: »

Isn't the cleaning of the hospital contracted out to a company?

Why is this company allowed to maintain such low standards !

Washing your hands isn't something they contract out.

Not sure what to extent the cleaners work, I would have assumed the storing of equipment and removing of items from surgery would be up to the staff in the theater?

tombliboo83

I would rather have a procedure done by a witch doctor in zambia than check into that hospital again. It is filthy and the level of cate is sh1te IMO

Tim the Enchanter

tombliboo83 wrote: »

I would rather have a procedure done by a witch doctor in zambia than check into that hospital again. It is filthy and the level of cate is sh1te IMO

Of course you would! Why don't you try being a nurse or doctor out there for a day! The hospital has alot wrong with it, but so do most others in this country that are not private, and in saying that, there are some private hospitals in this country that are just as bad. Until we get wide spread reform of the healthcare system things will never change.

Gael23

The problems there are deeper than this particular issue and the doctors and nurses try their very best. But none of that is a reason for the filthy toilets and just general unhygienic conditions in there.

Tim the Enchanter

ryanf1 wrote: »

The problems there are deeper than this particular issue and the doctors and nurses try their very best. But none of that is a reason for the filthy toilets and just general unhygienic conditions in there.

I agree. Maybe its because the cleaning contract is awarded to the cheapest bidder.

Dave_Power

I remember wrh gettin a huge clean of health a few years ago, they were top ranked in ireland

MOC88

Its Cork's University Hospital's problem now

BBM77

Sully wrote: »

So staff can basically throw the basic rules, the simple stuff, just because their department is under a lot of pressure? I disagree. Washing your hands is one of the most basic simple easy requirements as is tidying up after yourself.

None of this should come down to money. A clean hospital and a tidy hospital should remain regardless. Its not that difficult and its the most basic patient care. Essential care.

Of course funding is no excuse for poor basic hygiene like hand washing etc. I never said it was. However, the staff are run of their feet out there because, as I said, of recruitment embargos and funding issues and it is bound to have an effect on the basic standards of the hospital. The fact of the matter is if you are under a lot of pressure which the staff in WRH are simple things get forgotten. It is well established that like for like WRH gets less funding from the government. This hygiene problem is a symptom of this. Instead of wagging your finger at people who are doing their best under difficult circumstances you should be wagging your finger at politicians who deem that WRH doesn’t deserve the same funding as other comparable hospitals around the country.

Gael23

BBM77 wrote: »

Of course funding is no excuse for poor basic hygiene like hand washing etc. I never said it was. However, the staff are run of their feet out there because, as I said, of recruitment embargos and funding issues and it is bound to have an effect on the basic standards of the hospital. The fact of the matter is if you are under a lot of pressure which the staff in WRH are simple things get forgotten. It is well established that like for like WRH gets less funding from the government. This hygiene problem is a symptom of this. Instead of wagging your finger at people who are doing their best under difficult circumstances you should be wagging your finger at politicians who deem that WRH doesn’t deserve the same funding as other comparable hospitals around the country.

I dont see how "forgetting" to wash your hands between patients is acceptable excuse . Its such a basic thing to get right and only takes a few seconds.
As someone else said it is probably the case that cleaning services are awarded to the cheapest bidder with little regard for quality.

BBM77

ryanf1 wrote: »

I dont see how "forgetting" to wash your hands between patients is acceptable excuse . Its such a basic thing to get right and only takes a few seconds.
As someone else said it is probably the case that cleaning services are awarded to the cheapest bidder with little regard for quality.

I never said it was an acceptable excuse. I am saying things don’t happen in isolation.

Sully

BBM77 wrote: »

I never said it was an acceptable excuse. I am saying things don’t happen in isolation.

You cannot blame budgets or recruitment issues for basic health care standards. They should not slip regardless of what politics or administrative issues are happening. There is no excuse for some of the issues highlighted in the report.

deisemum

The cleaning staff cannot be blamed for the medical staff, apparently all levels who do not wash their hands. Proper hand washing is a very basic preventative practise that's drilled into people when they're training in whatever medical role they're training for.

It's also up to medical staff to clean and sterilise or dispose of contaminated items not leave them lying around, it's not a cleaner's task.

BBM77

Sully wrote: »

You cannot blame budgets or recruitment issues for basic health care standards. They should not slip regardless of what politics or administrative issues are happening. There is no excuse for some of the issues highlighted in the report.

I’m not blaming budgets or recruitment issues for basic health care standards. Saying they should not slip regardless of what politics or administrative issues are happening is nonsense. What I am saying is these things do affect the performance of any organisation.

Sully

BBM77 wrote: »

I’m not blaming budgets or recruitment issues for basic health care standards. Saying they should not slip regardless of what politics or administrative issues are happening is nonsense. What I am saying is these things do affect the performance of any organisation.

But it shouldn't and its not excusable if it does. Do you not agree on that point?