Kilkenny centre for patients with dementia receives damning health and safety report
By COLIN BARTLEY
A DESIGNATED centre that provides dementia care for adults in Kilkenny city failed to meet the standards required in the provision of care to its patients, according to a new report.
Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) Inspectors were not assured that there was “sufficient resources available to ensure care of the patients” at Tinnypark Nursing Home (pictured).
On May 9, two members of the Office of the Chief Inspector of HIQA paid an announced inspection of the Tinnypark Nursing Home, Derdimus, Callan Road, Kilkenny.
The report found the “the governance and management in the centre was weak” and was not compliant in five of the 22 areas analysed by the inspectors.
Tinnyland Nursing Home can care for 47 adults requiring dementia care as well as respite care, convalescent care and general care. On the day of the inspection, HIQA found the home has serious issues regarding management, staffing, training and staff development, governance, the security of patients’ possessions and the area of infection control.
As a result of the report’s findings, follow up actions were put in place in conjunction with HIQA and are now being implemented. These include further training, more staffing, improved cleaning schedules, better tracking of patients’ belongings, the adoption of regulations set down and the realignment of the nurses’ station.
There was better news for St Joseph’s Supported Care Home in Kilmoganny, which supports 20 residents in an independent living capacity.
On June 5 HIQA inspectors turned up unannounced to St Joseph’s, but gave the care home a near-perfect report being compliant or fully compliant in every aspect of the inspection.
A third facility in Kilkenny, Prague House in Freshford, a facility for people of low-dependency aged over 60 also received a glowing report.
Inspectors attended the nursing home on the same day as St Joseph’s on an announced inspection. Prague House was found to be compliant or substantially compliant in all bar three areas. They only fell-down in the area of recording administrative duties.
