An unannounced inspection of one of the country's busiest hospitals has revealed some major issues on a ward used to treat cancer patients, including unclean surroundings, insufficient cleaning of patient equipment and poor waste management of syringes.

The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) carried out an unannounced inspection at the Mater hospital in Dublin on July 2.

The Mater serves a local catchment area of 185,000 and around 18,000 people are admitted every year, including 12,000 emergencies. Some 49,000 patients attend for day cases, while outpatient attendances exceed 215,000 per year.

One of the areas the inspectors looked at was St Monica's Ward, a 31-bed surgical ward that accommodates patients receiving different types of care, including cancer and gynaecological care.

The inspectors found that the quality of cleaning on the ward was not sufficient. They found ‘varying unacceptable levels of dust on high and low surfaces in all areas assessed'.

"Dust, fluff and grit were present on floor corners and edges in all patient and ancillary rooms inspected indicating that local systems for dust control were not effective. Dust was also present on air vents, computer keyboards, shelving in cupboards and the frames of units for the storage of sterile equipment," the inspectors' report revealed.

It also noted that two drug trolleys were unclean and one of three mattresses inspected was ‘compromised', with red staining visible on the cover. One pillow cover was also found to be torn and visibly stained and red staining was present on another. ‘Organic matter' was also found on one of the bedrails assessed.

The inspectors found that several fans were in use in parts of the ward in response to hot weather at the time, even though fans are not recommended for use in clinical areas. They said they were concerned that several of the fans assessed were ‘visibly very dusty' and one was in ‘poor repair'.

Meanwhile, the inspectors found that the daily cleaning checklists were incomplete for the month prior to the inspection and up to the time of it.

When it came to patient equipment, ‘there was evidence of insufficient cleaning'. For example, red staining was visible on two glucose monitors and several intravenous pumps in use were ‘visibly stained'.

The inspectors also found poor sharps management in St Monica's Ward. Sharps refer to any device used to puncture the skin, such as syringes. Sharps waste is classified as bio-hazardous waste.

However the inspectors found a number of issues, including two sharps bins with visible red staining on the surfaces and two bins that were ‘overfilled', with blood-stained tubing sticking out of the opening of one bin.

Furthermore, a member of staff was observed continuing to use the overfilled bins during the inspection.

"The hospital needs to address the deficiencies identified during the unannounced inspection relating to the management and monitoring of hospital cleanliness to mitigate the potential risks associated with environmental contamination which may contribute to the spread of infection," the inspectors said.

HIQA added that it will 'continue to monitor the hospital's progress'.