New Laois nursing home fails two of 12 areas in HIQA inspection

A new purpose built nursing home in Portlaoise town centre in Laois has failed an unannounced health authority inspection last July in two out of 12 categories. It was fully compliant in seven of the categories.

The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) inspectors paid a visit to the Residence in The Maltings on Harpur’s Lane last July 24, their second since it was opened 12 months ago.

It was a follow up to their March inspection which found non-compliance in the areas of fire regulations and access to GP services.

On the July inspection there were 39 residents living in the 101 bedroom nursing home.

The Residence Portlaoise was deemed not compliant in two categories on management and care plans.

It was not compliant in Governance and Management, with inspectors citing “ineffective systems of audit and clinical oversight in place, poor oversight of nursing documentation and  ineffective oversight of the complaints management system”.

“A review of residents' assessments and care plans found that they were not in compliance with the requirements of the regulations. “

“The management systems in place to monitor the quality of the service did not fully ensure the service provided to residents was safe, appropriate, consistent and effectively monitored,” they reported.

The Residence also failed to meet regulatory requirements for “individual assessment and care plan”.

“A resident assessed as being at high risk of falls did not have their care plan updated to include a fall prevention strategy despite multiple fall incidents being documented for this resident. 

“Additionally, a number of residents who had experienced significant weight-loss did not have an accurate assessment of their weight and nutritional risk completed.”

Three further areas were found to be “substantially compliant” meaning issues found were low risk but improvements should be made. They are in Records, Complaints Procedure, and Health Care. 

Under Health Care, they noted a “failure to provide residents with appropriate and timely referral to health care professionals for further assessment and expertise when clinically indicated”.

The Residence Portlaoise was found to be fully compliant for another seven regulations, including staffing, visits, managing challenging behaviour, residents rights, protection and service contracts. 

The business said in HIQA's inspection report issued this November, that by September 30 2024, it would have given additional training to all nurses, on skin integrity, safeguarding and nutrition and documentation required for person-centred care. They said that a second Clinical Nurse Manager (CNM) would also be recruited and that management would get more training. 

They also said that from September 30, “resident care plans, specifically those relating to clinical risk areas will be audited monthly by the Director of Nursing (DON) and further reviewed at monthly Governance meetings”.

The HIQA inspectors said the nursing home was clean, well laid out, with a choice of good quality food.

“In general, residents were seen to be relaxed and comfortable in the company of staff. Staff were observed assisting residents with their care needs and overall, staff provided this support in a gentle and respectful manner,” they said.

There was one concerning incident.

“However, while the inspectors were walking through the centre they observed an interaction that was contrary to a person-centred approach to care. Inspectors observed that the manner in which staff interacted with a resident who requested support did not alleviate a resident's anxiety, request for assistance, or concerns.”

The Residence Portlaoise offers nursing home care to adults over 18, and caters for older people who require nursing care, dementia care, palliative care, respite and post-operative care.