HIQA found issues with staff levels and care plans in three Clare nursing homes

ISSUES around staffing levels and patient care plans have been reported in three residential centres for older people across county Clare.

St. Dominic Savio Nursing Home in Liscannor, West Clare Nursing Home St Theresa's in Kilrush and the Ennis Road Care Facility in Meelick were all inspected by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) between February 2022 and June 2023.

The three centres were all found to be generally "fully compliant or substantially compliant", with only two of the facilities found to be non-compliant in one area each.

In general across the three facilities, the HIQA Chief Inspector found that residents were well cared for and there was a positive and 'homely' atmosphere in all three facilities. Residents across all three facilities felt respected and cared for by staff, and their independence was supported and encouraged where possible. 

One resident at St Theresa's in Kilrush told the inspector that they 'never imagined they would settle anywhere but in their own home' but they 'never felt more at home' at the facility.

However a number of issues were reported at the Kilrush centre, including insufficient space in residents rooms and low levels of housekeeping staff.

Inspectors visited St Theresa's in April 2023 and noted that some areas of the premises - some bedroom en-suites and ancillary spaces such as the sluice room, laundry, and storage areas - were not properly clean, and some supportive equipment was observed to be visibly stained.

There were also issues regarding fire doors, such as visible gaps when some doors were closed and others being propped open by furniture. 

In the compliance report response St Theresa's said that all fire doors had been fixed where required and all furniture holding them open had been removed, and that housekeeping staff levels were now improved after Garda vetting for new staff had come through.

An issue across all three facilities was the inadequate recording of care plans for residents. Staff were aware of issues and requirements for residents in all facilities, however this knowledge was not adequately recorded or reflected in care plans.

At St Dominic Savio, care plans for one patient who had lost weight and another who had suffered a fall did not reflect these developments.

The Liscannor facility was inspected in early April 2023 and was also found to have insufficient levels of nursing staff to cover late shifts and staff leave. There was also an issue of serious incidents, such as one where a resident was hospitalised after suffering a fall, not being reported to the Chief Inspector. 

In their compliance report response St Dominic Savio reported that six new staff had been hired to deal with staffing issues and more would be hired after June 2023. They also are reviewing every residents care plan, which "are updated every 3
months or as appropriate with the changing needs of the resident".

Overall the Ennis Road facility was compliant in all areas, however when inspected in February 2023 it was noted there was a delay in preparing care plans for residents within 48 hours of their admittance, as required by regulations.

According to the facility, this has been addressed since the inspection and "all residents are assigned a key support nurse
to work with them on the assessment and development of their care plans".