Hygiene reports into two of the biggest Dublin hospitals have found areas of the hospitals to be generally unclean while the practice of hand hygiene among staff is not up to scratch.
The reports published by the the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) found that standards at Tallaght Hospital and the Mater Hospital were not fully compliant with national hygiene standards.
The reports identified clear risks to patients as a result of a failure to comply with national hygiene standards.
Inspections at Tallaght Hospital found damaged equipment in clinical areas that was not in line with infection control and prevention practices.
38% of nursing and healthcare assistant staff on one ward were identified as not having completed hand hygiene training.
Control of areas containing potentially to hazardous chemicals and medications at both Tallaght Hospital and the Mater required improvement, to prevent risk of access by unauthorised persons.
At the Mater Hospital unlabelled syringes containing unknown solutions with attached and unattached uncapped needles were found stored in two kidney dishes on a worktop presenting a risk of injury.
Both hospitals must now publish a quality improvement plan on their websites within six weeks.
