Residents in a south Dublin mental health hospital were left soiled for an \u201cunacceptable period\u201d, \u201cslapped\u201d on the leg, cursed at and threatened with an injection to improve co-operation with staff, an investigation has found.<\/p>\n
Bloomfield Hospital in Rathfarnham has apologised for the distress caused to some patients over the mistreatment highlighted by an independent reviewer called in to investigate a whistleblower\u2019s allegations. <\/p>\n
Set up by the Quakers in Ireland, the hospital, a registered charity, cares for people with mental health issues and disorders including Huntington\u2019s disease, Alzheimer\u2019s, Parkinson\u2019s, dementia and schizophrenia.<\/p>\n
On July 14th, a healthcare assistant (HCA) made a complaint to the senior nurse manager on night duty, alleging poor standards of care to patients, most of which centred around incontinence.<\/p>\n
The complaint was escalated to senior management, who conducted an internal investigation and later asked occupational health and safety consultant Tom Beegan to investigate, starting on August 7th.<\/p>\n
His November 10th report \u2013 seen by The Irish Times \u2013 outlined concerns around the level of clinical oversight, culture and reliance on agency staff at the hospital, which is primarily funded by the HSE<\/a>.<\/p>\n According to the report, the unnamed HCA noticed a patient was soiled when she came on duty and asked a colleague for help to change the patient but was told: \u201cAfter supper.\u201d<\/p>\n The report states the patient had their supper while soiled and later, at about 10pm, vomited.<\/p>\n The HCA again asked for help from the colleague, who told her the situation was not urgent and the patient could wait. Another colleague arrived later to help change the patient.<\/p>\n The report said this worker witnessed patients who needed to be washed and changed after an incontinence event \u201cbeing left to wait for an unacceptable period\u201d.<\/p>\n On one occasion, the worker said she witnessed a situation in which a patient pulled out their catheter and was wet with their own urine. Her colleague, another HCA, became angry and told the patient she hated her.<\/p>\n Another example highlighted in the report found that during an incontinence pad change, a healthcare worker is alleged to have \u201cslapped\u201d the patient on her thigh and wanted to double pad the patient. <\/p>\n In another instance, a colleague said \u201cf**k you\u201d to a patient, the HCA alleged, while she said she observed a patient being threatened with an injection to encourage them to co-operate when changing a pad.<\/p>\n The investigator acknowledged most staff at the hospital appeared \u201ccommitted to delivering compassionate patient-centred care to patients\u201d.<\/p>\n