Residents in a south Dublin mental health hospital were left soiled for an “unacceptable period”, “slapped” on the leg, cursed at and threatened with an injection to improve co-operation with staff, an investigation has found.
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’s allegations.
Set up by the Quakers in Ireland, the hospital, a registered charity, cares for people with mental health issues and disorders including Huntington’s disease, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, dementia and schizophrenia.
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.
RM Block
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.
His November 10th report – seen by The Irish Times – outlined concerns around the level of clinical oversight, culture and reliance on agency staff at the hospital, which is primarily funded by the HSE.
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: “After supper.”
The report states the patient had their supper while soiled and later, at about 10pm, vomited.
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.
The report said this worker witnessed patients who needed to be washed and changed after an incontinence event “being left to wait for an unacceptable period”.
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.
Another example highlighted in the report found that during an incontinence pad change, a healthcare worker is alleged to have “slapped” the patient on her thigh and wanted to double pad the patient.
In another instance, a colleague said “f**k you” 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.
The investigator acknowledged most staff at the hospital appeared “committed to delivering compassionate patient-centred care to patients”.
[ Inside Bloomfield Hospital: what investigators found after whistle blown on patient care ]
However, he said “on the balance of probabilities” the issues of concern “did occur”.
He made recommendations to the hospital on his findings, which he presented at meetings with staff on Friday.
Responding to queries from The Irish Times, Bloomfield’s senior management said it took any reports of misconduct “very seriously” and commenced an internal investigation.
“Various changes” were made to ensure any alleged misconduct did not continue and that disciplinary action was taken.
“The hospital apologises for this distress that has been caused to some patients and their families and reassures them that the management has never, and will not, tolerate any misconduct amongst its staff,” it added.
