Patients risking infection in dirty hospitals
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Wednesday November 14 2007
PATIENTS are facing serious risk of infection, including MRSA, in many hospitals because of poor hygiene standards, a damning report revealed yesterday.
The shock findings on the dirty state of many hospitals came as a separate report highlighted how breast cancer survival rates here were among the worst in developed countries.
The OECD's Health at a Glance 2007 report put Ireland third worst across 30 countries and comes after the misdiagnosis scandal centred on Portlaoise hospital.
Meanwhile, the most rigorous hygiene review of 51 hospitals found several of these posed a significant threat of infection for patients.
It showed not one of the hospitals could achieve a "very good" rating for hygiene standards or effective management of infection control to minimise the risk of patients contracting potentially fatal superbugs and serious viruses.
Nine were rated "poor", 35 managed a "fair" score and just seven were judged "good", the independent report by the new watchdog the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) revealed.
Inspectors who arrived unannounced at hospitals over several months found dirty floors in intensive care units, risks of cross contamination in operating theatres, food safety breaches and dirty toilets.
John Billings, HIQA director of healthcare quality, said frontline areas of hospitals were heeding messages on the need for handwashing and keeping equipment clean -- but there was still huge work to be done in managing infection risk and putting proper monitoring systems instead of just "stumbling" along without checks.
Problems uncovered in the report included:
- Less than half of hospitals could say how they were performing in tackling MRSA.
- Food was prepared in small ward kitchens.
- Sterilising equipment of instruments was put in an operating theatre, increasing chances of cross-contamination.
- Five hospitals had no systems in place to monitor contact staff such as cleaners.
- Teams were in place to oversee hygiene practices but many had no clear roles and responsibilities.
- St Mary's Orthopaedic Hospital Cork failed to provide any information on how it was managing hygiene services.
The best performing hospitals were Tallaght, Beaumont, St James's, St Vincent's and the Rotunda in Dublin. Outside the capital, St Luke's, Kilkenny and Naas General Hospital also made the best grade.
The worst performing were Our Lady of Lourdes, Drogheda; Mallow General; Our Lady's, Navan; Portiuncula, Galway; Roscommon County; St Mary's Orthopaedic, Cork; St Michael's, Dun Laoghaire; and Wexford General.
Mr Billings said he could not measure what impact this played in Ireland's high rates of hospital-acquired infection but it was obvious it was a contributory factor.
However, he was not in favour of persistent offenders being closed down.
HIQA chief executive Tracey Cooper said: "At the heart of improvement there needs to be a change of culture in our hospitals in order to spur further improvement".
Commenting on the findings Health Minister Mary Harney said they were disappointing and it was clear the health service had some way to go to establish a culture of best practice in this area.
"Hygiene and infection control are among the essentials we have to get right."
