HIQA critical of Letterkenny General following pre-arranged hand Hygiene audit

HIQA’s published more inspection reports which raise serious concerns about hygiene standards at a number of hospitals.
The latest unannounced visits were made to Kerry General, St. James’ in Dublin, the Eye and Ear Hospital in Dublin and St. Colmcille’s in Loughlinstown.
A prearranged visit was also held at Letterkenny general.
Inspectors said the extent of non-attendance at hand hygiene training and poor hand hygiene audit results pose a significant risk to patients of health care associated infections at Letterkenny General Hospital.
While attendances at mandatory hand hygiene training had improved since an unannounced monitoring assessment on 27 February, inspectors said there were still problems.
Some areas had achieved 100% compliance, but the overall training rate on 5 June was just 66%.
HIQA found that the cleanliness of the hospital had improved since February.
However, inspectors said further improvement is needed to ensure that the cleanliness of the physical environment and equipment is effectively managed and maintained.
The inspection took place at Letterkenny General Hospital before it suffered significant flood damage.