Cathal BarryThe head of healthcare at the Conference of Religious Ireland (CORI) has described as “shocking” a report that found vulnerable elderly people were left for more than a month without a shower or a bath in a nursing home run by the HSE.
Sr Pat O’Donovan, RSM insisted “there is no situation in Ireland that’s so basic that you can’t wash a person”.
“Washing is a very fundamental act of care for a person who is old. You really need to be washed everyday if you are in bed and have your skin cared for to ensure it is not breaking,” she told The Irish Catholic.
Warning of the importance for health care workers to “honour and abide” by standards and regulations laid down by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa), Sr O’Donovan said there was a need to “get beyond regulation to the point where our care for the older person must come out of a deep respect for their dignity”.
Report
Consultant Geriatrician Dr Kevin McCarroll who is based at St James’s Hospital in Dublin said the report was “surprising”.
“On the issue of personal care, showering and bathing, it is a bit surprising for a public facility,” Dr McCarroll said, adding that he suspected the problem was “cultural”.
To avoid such a situation reoccurring in the future, Dr McCarroll said there needs to be “better clinical leadership” from the clinical nurse mangers down, as well as “full training and education” for all members of staff and “internal quarterly audits in relation to personal care”.