Damaged floors and damp rooms found in Mayo nursing home
The Nursing Unit was non-compliant in three areas.
An inspection by HIQA on a nursing home in Mayo found bedrooms with damaged floors and walls with damp on them.
St Fionnan's Community Nursing Unit in Achill, which is run by the HSE, had an unannounced inspection on June 4th.
The Nursing Unit was non-compliant in three areas: Managing behaviour that is challenging, Premises, and Governance and management.
The centre was also only substantially compliant in residents' rights and medicines and pharmaceutical services.
On the day of the inspection, there were 23 residents.
The inspection found several positions remained vacant and had not been filled by the provider. These roles were being temporarily covered by agency staff.
Two registered nursing positions remained vacant. This was further impacted by the long term leave of three full-time positions.
Five healthcare assistants were also on long-term leave, and their positions remained unfilled. Five beds were voluntarily closed to admissions due to the lack of permanent staffing resources.
The inspection found improvements were required in the identification and management of risks within the centre, including the safe and appropriate storage of medications.
The oversight of equipment storage and the maintenance of the premises was not adequate.
There was also inadequate storage space available, with store rooms were cluttered with residents' equipment.
When it came to the bedrooms, Bedroom five was in a poor state of repair, with three of the four walls significantly damaged by dampness. As a result, the paint on these walls was chipped and peeling.
This was discussed on inspection, and the resident accommodated in this bedroom was temporarily relocated to another room, pending the repair of bedroom five.
Flooring in some bedrooms was damaged and in need of repair, particularly bedroom eight.
Grab rails in several en-suite bathrooms were poorly maintained, with paint chipped and peeling away from them.
When it came to the residents, over 50 per cent had bed rails in place.
There was no evidence that alternatives had been trialled or that a review discussion had taken place with the residents regarding their continued use.
Eight of 23 residents had sensor alarms in use, which was deemed overly restrictive.
On the day of the inspection, a resident who was showing signs of discomfort was displaying signs of responsive behaviours, which was
not appropriately reviewed or managed. This caused stress for two residents living close to this resident's bedroom, particularly through the night.
On the day of the inspection, medicines were not safely or securely stored.
The door to the nurse's office, which contained an internal storeroom for medications, was left unlocked on two occasions during the day of this inspection. The door to the internal store room was also unlocked.
Following the inspection, the centre said rails adjacent to toilets are being refinished /replaced to ensure they are readily cleanable.
They also said damaged floors will be repaired and replaced, while storage arrangements have been reviewed and reorganized to ensure equipment and stock are stored safely and appropriately.
