The privacy and dignity of patients on trolleys and chairs in the Emergency Department at Mullingar Hospital has been severely compromised.
That's one of the findings from a HIQA inspection of the Midlands Regional Hospital released today. The report covers a two day inspection at the local hospital in December, 2022.
HIQA personnel attended Mullingar Hospital on the 6th and 7th of December last year for a detailed inspection of the Emergency Department, the surgical ward and the hospital's general medical ward. All 234 beds in the hospital were in use on the day of the inspection with 17 patients on trolleys in the ED with a further six accommodated on chairs throughout the department, including on the main corridor,
On the days of inspection, hospital management told inspectors they had implemented the hospital’s escalation plan in response to overcrowding. Inspectors highlighted strong clinical and nursing leadership among staff in the ED who were dealing with the issue. HIQA was satisfied that the hospital had defined lines of responsibility and accountability for the governance and management of unscheduled and emergency care at the hospital.
However, they raised concerns that these arrangements were not fully effective in addressing issues in the emergency department. Overall, the emergency department was found to not function as effectively as it should, was overcrowded and had significant issues with patient flow all leading to a patient-safety risk.
