A North Kerry nursing home was found to be compliant with most conditions of the Health Act 2007, following a HIQA inspection carried out in April.
The facility in question was Kilcara Nursing Home, at Kilcara, Duagh, which had 27 residents on the day of the unannounced inspection.
In total, HIQA published 49 inspection reports on residential centres for older people, with inspectors reporting evidence of good practice and compliance with the regulations in most facilities.
According to the report, the inspector met with the majority of the 27 residents living in Kilcara and spoke with seven residents in more detail. to gain a view of their experiences in the centre.
All were very complimentary in their feedback and expressed satisfaction about the standard of care provided.
The inspector said she observed staff actively engaging with residents in a respectful and kind manner, ensuring their needs were responded to.
However, the report also found that further action was required to improve the governance and oversight of the service.
It recommended improved management systems be put place to identify and monitor the quality and safety of care provided to
residents, in particular with regard to infection prevention and control.
The inspector also noted that while the centre generally provided a homely environment for residents, some of the décor and finishes were showing
signs of minor wear and tear, although efforts were being made to improve this.
The overall report found Kilcara was compliant or mostly compliant in the majority of regulations under the Health Act, but deemed 'not compliant' in the categories of infection control and 'governance and management'.
A compliance plan for the nursing home was laid out for the service providers, with a number of recommendations, including more training for all staff on infection prevention and control.
Management at Kilcara has since outlined its plans for addressing all of the recommendations.
