Work to 'unsafe and poorly maintained' unit in Carndonagh hospital set for January completion

The HSE say that works to address fire safety concerns at a dementia unit in Carndonagh Community Hospital are due to be completed by the end of January.

Admissions have been cancelled by HIQA (Health Information and Quality Authority) due to the fire risks at the Ard Aoibhinn unit.

The risks were previously highlighted in October 2022 and were due to be completed by the end of July.

However, a HIQA inspector visited the facility on August 31 last and found 10 amber-rated fire safety risks had not been completed.

The Chief Inspector previously imposed a restrictive condition on the registration certificate for the facility, but a visit by inspector Nikhil Sureshkumar showed that these works had only recently commenced.

“As a result, the residents accommodated in Ard Aoibhinn unit continued to live in unsafe and poorly maintained premises,” the inspector noted in a report.

“Furthermore, the provider was in breach of their conditions of registration as these works should have been completed by 31 July 2023.”

“As a result, the providers' arrangements for the containment of fire in the event of a fire emergency in the centre were not robust and did not fully ensure the safety of residents in the event of a fire emergency.”

In a response to HIQA, which is included in the report, the HSE said: “Resident numbers have been reduced in the Dementia Specific unit with admissions being cancelled, as advised by the Authority, until the works are completed.”

The HSE say that these works are scheduled to be completed by January 30, 2024. The HSE say that fortnightly meetings are held with the HSE Estates Team and appointed contractor, ‘to ensure all works are on schedule and in order to be completed within the timeframes submitted to the Authority’.

On the day of the visit, there were 37 residents across the three units - Elm Ward, Oak Ward and Ard Aoibhinn - at Carndonagh Community Hospital.

In the Ard Aoibhinn unit, the inspector noted that some floors and doors were visibly damaged, some areas needed repainting and gaps had appeared between floor linings and the walls of bedrooms with dirt and dust accumulating in this area.

The inspector said that ‘cleaning and disinfection were ineffective’ and pointed out that ‘floor tile were cracked in bathrooms and dust and dirt had accumulated’.

The layout of four twin-bedded rooms in the Ard Aoibhinn unit meant that the position of the hand wash basin in these rooms was close to residents' beds - an arrangement that the inspector said ‘did not ensure the privacy of the residents in these bed space when other residents or staff were using the hand wash facilities’.

The layout of four twin-bedded rooms meant that when the resident in the bed space near the window pulled their privacy curtain, other residents in the bedroom could not see out of the window and access natural light.

Issues pertaining to fire safety were raised by the inspector, who pointed out concerns regarding preventative measures in the event of a fire.

The report said: “The provider had not made adequate arrangements to maintain the emergency exit signages in the Ard Aoibhinn unit. For example, a number of emergency exit signages were not illuminating on the day of inspection, and this could cause confusion and could delay an evacuation in the event of a fire emergency.”

The HSE say that a schedule of works began in August to include the replacement of all flooring, repainting of the unit and upgrading of the remaining seven bathrooms, while new sinks have been installed and a further review is to be carried out on the privacy curtain rails.

The inspector said that ‘overall, the residents' feedback about the care and service provided to them was highly positive’.

“It was evident that residents were enjoying the activities provided for them,” the inspector said.