STAFFING issues and the physical constraints of an old building saw University Maternity Hospital Limerick (UMHL) fall short in several standards set by health authorities in a recent inspection.
The Ennis Road hospital was one of 12 care-giving centres inspected by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) for compliance with the National Standards for Safer Better Healthcare.
During the announced inspection on October 22 and 23 last year, inspectors found that “there were midwifery and nursing staff shortfalls in the delivery suite and the neonatal unit” at UMHL.
“The staff absenteeism rate was greater than the HSE’s target. A range of measures were applied to manage the risk arising from midwifery and nursing shortfalls, but some of these (staff working additional hours or overtime and agency staff) were not sustainable in the long term.”
The health watchdog also found that “mitigating actions applied to manage the risk to patient safety arising from midwifery and nursing staff shortfalls had resulted in staffing challenges in other clinical areas” and “improvement was required to ensure staff undertook essential and mandatory training, appropriate to their scope of practice at a minimum every two years”.
Presenting their report, HIQA inspectors pointed out that “in University Maternity Hospital Limerick, the age and current footprint of the hospital’s physical environment presented many challenges to the delivery of high-quality, safe healthcare services”.
Inspectors found physical paper records “on trolleys in public areas that were easily accessible to clinicians and to others, including other women and visitors”.
“This practice was not in line with general data protection and regulation legislation and was brought to the attention of the CMM during inspection for immediate remedy.”
Concerns were also raised that “with the exception of the neonatal unit, the physical environment did not meet relevant legislative requirements or best practice guidelines”.
“There was no process to clearly identify clean patient equipment. Lack of storage space led to inappropriate placement of supplies and equipment … and neonatal resuscitaires was not available in all postnatal wards.”
The report concluded that there were “effective systems in place to protect women and babies receiving care in the hospital from the risk of harm, but the evidence and guidance informing the delivery of safe, high-quality care should be up to date.”