BY MARK McKELVEY
A random hygiene inspection at the Tyrone County Hospital in March highlighted there was "significant room for improvement".
The findings of an independent health and social care regulator, pinpointed specific areas of improvement (see attached graph for details), which the Western Health Trust say have been immediately addressed, stressing patients and visitors to the TCH can be confident they are in a clean environment to receive care.
Having carried out inspections in five hospitals across each of the Trust areas, the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) stated that 11 out of the 19 departments examined were partially or fully compliant to hygiene standards. With eight wards below the minimum level expected.
The TCH was described as below the minimal standard in its Outpatients, Urgent Care Unit and Ward 7, with only the Renal Unit receiving a partially compliant hygiene standard.
The inspections focused on indicators of good practice, including hand hygiene, the environment, clinical practice and patient equipment.
Following the release of the inspection report on Tuesday, Joe Lusby, Director of Acute Services said it fully accepted these findings and took immediate action to address issues raised at that time, stating, "Plans are in place and have been acted upon to address all of the recommendations".
He continued, "Significant progress has been made since March 2009 and patients should be assured that the Tyrone County Hospital is a clean environment within which to receive care. Western Trust staff acted promptly in relation to the issues raised as a result of the RQIA inspection and this is reflective of the Trust's commitment to learn from these experiences and address issues arising."
Mr Lusby, also highlighted that the RQIA inspection was carried out at a time when services at the TCH were changing significantly and when staff were under increased pressure.
Many of the recommendations in the report relate to the fabric of the building that was built in 1899, which Mr Lusby feels emphasises the importance to push ahead with the building of the new Omagh Area Hospital.
He said, The Western Trust fully accepts the challenges presented by such an old building and is committed to driving forward the building of a new £190 million local enhanced hospital to replace the TCH."
On a positive note Glenn Houston, RQIA Chief Executive, said staff in the hospitals inspected have demonstrated that they "can get it right". However, he stressed the clear message from these inspections is that hygiene and infection control measures need to be embedded in daily routines across all wards and clinical areas all of the time.
He said, "Clean wards and robust infection control practices are crucial in the fight against health care associated infections. These help to reassure patients that the care they receive is safe.
"The current focus on hand hygiene has resulted in significant improvement when compared with previous inspections, but further work is necessary in this area."
