In north Dublin, a health and safety audit revealed that a staggering five individuals passed away due to a trio of separate disease outbreaks in a nursing home. The Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) disclosed 48 investigation reports on elderly residential centres this past Thursday.
The establishment in question, TLC Carton situated in Raheny, suffered from three distinct strand of disease outbreaks since the year commenced. The diseases ranged from norovirus commonly referred to as the ‘vomiting bug’, to respiratory ailments such as the flu and Covid-19.
When the inspection took place, norovirus was subsiding with a count of two confirmed cases and thirteen under suspicion. Covid-19 and breathing disorders, however, were rife during the period of investigation, with 11 confirmed individuals suffering from the viral infection and a staggering 27 diagnosed with the flu. A worrisome 30 cases marked with symptoms synonymous with flu-like illness were also reported. Since the onset of the outbreaks, five mortalities were recorded.
While the residential centre’s workforce had the benefit of reaching out to the HSE’s public health department for aid during outbreaks, and despite assurance that health department recommendations had been fulfilled, Hiqa expressed apprehensions regarding infection control. The authority was subtly critical of existing arrangements being insufficient for providing consistent safe and effective infection prevention and control, alongside antimicrobial stewardship.
Sadly, it was noted that part of the staff was improperly wearing their face masks beneath their noses, which negates its protection against airborne respiratory droplets. Investigators uncovered some equipment was often left unclean after use, consequently escalating chances of pathogen transmission.
To address the shortcomings and align with regulatory compliance, the establishment formulated a plan which announced renewed training sessions for the staff on infection control and outbreak management.
In another development, serious fire safety issues came into focus at a different elderly home, the Belmont House Private Nursing Home in Stillorgan, Co Dublin. Inspectors reported that the facility’s corridors were obstructed due to misplaced equipment, such as hoists, linen trolleys, nursing station tables and residents’ assistive devices. Such unorganised storage hindered entry to a resident’s room and closed off escape routes during evacuation, limiting access to windows for residents. This compromised the nursing home’s ability to evacuate residents safely and promptly during a fire emergency. Following an immediate action plan, some hallways were unblocked by day two of the survey, while certain areas remained obstructed.