A HIQA hygiene audit has found that Sligo Regional Hospital had inadequate staffing and procedures in place to effectively prevent the spread of healthcare-associated infections.

HIQA hygiene report also found hygiene deficits in other hospitals.

A report on a recent hygiene inspection at Sligo found that the hospital had a lack of adequate, full-time dedicated roles for prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections and this posed a risk of
infection, both directly and indirectly, to patients at the hospital.

The report said the evidence provided to HIQA did not adequately demonstrate how the executive management team at Sligo Regional Hospital can be fully assured that the prevention and control of these infections is regularly considered, assessed and managed to fully comply with the national standards, and all associated risks to patients monitored and mitigated.

The hospital reported that there was inadequate administration support to assist with data management, compliance with hand hygiene recommendations and a deficit of an integrated information management
system to support a robust audit of how the hospital was trying to prevent infections.

This finding, combined with the lack of a formal infection prevention-specific communication strategy all have the potential to impact negatively on the prevention of infections. "This suggests to the Authority that the prevention and control of HCAIs was not managed effectively in all respects," the report says.

HIQA found Sligo Regional Hospital to be only partially compliant with the National Standards for the Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections. A significant number of risks were identified that could potentially increase the possibility of patients contracting healthcare-associated infections, HIQA said.

The safety body, following an inspection at South Tipperary General Hospital in Clonmel, also found that the risk of infections spreading was not being managed properly.

In the South Infirmary Victoria Hospital in Cork, a HIQA inspection said its findings findings indicated that parts of the physical environment were not effectively managed to protect patients and service users and reduce the spread of healthcare-associated infections.

Deficits in hand hygiene compliance was criticised at all three hospitals, and at the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin.