HIQA has found that immediate improvements are required at Letterkenny University Hospital to address clinical governance and medical staffing levels in the Emergency Department.
Inspections were carried out at the hospital in November and December of last year during which the ED was noted to be overcrowded.
HIQA has found that although Letterkenny University Hospital was meeting some HSE key performance indicators for the management of patient waiting times in the ED, it remained overcrowded.
Inspectors says immediate improvements were needed to address clinical governance and medical staffing levels in the ED.
There was also limited evidence that comprehensive processes were in place to fully manage and respond to certain patient safety incidents as effectively as required.
In relation to gynaecology services at the hospital, there was good evidence that patient satisfaction surveys and from meeting with staff that improvements have been progressed in the service.
While HIQA found examples of a number of positive initiatives designed to enhance patient care, further immediate work was required to address deficits in the comprehensive infection screening programme for patients; to improve learning from patient incidents; to fully implement the clinical handover of patients; and to and fully integrate safe processes to manage ED patient attendances at the hospital.
