Beaumont Hospital's dirty table posed risk of infection

The area was small, cluttered with documentation which was visibly stained, while the surface of the work top was unclean, the report by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) showed.

Inspectors saw staff drawing up medication on the worktop at the time of the visit - where the surface was not cleaned before or after the procedure in line with best practice.

Heavy dust and grease were found under two beds and the ends of the beds were also dusty. Staining was seen on mattresses and two of the mattress covers were torn. Fans were in use, which was not recommended.

The door of an isolation room directed that the nurses' station should be contacted before anyone entered. But the room door was open at the time of inspection. Inspectors were told this was assessed and it was decided it was in the best needs of the patient.

The inspection at the end of October also found an extra patient had been placed in a ward for kidney dialysis and this raised concern about the risk of infection. The inspectors said the hospital should put more space between patients' stations in this area.

Beaumont has suffered from major overcrowding in recent months and has seen nurses protesting at the conditions in its emergency department.

Inspectors found a deterioration in the rate of handwashing from 86.2pc in May and June to 79.3pc in October.

Another HIQA inspection report on St John's Hospital in Limerick found heavy staining was on a commode and two temperature probe holders were not clean.

Cleanliness

There needed to be an improvement in the management of patient equipment on the ground floor and there were issues with the cleanliness and maintenance of the medical ward they inspected in November.

Staff were seen touching curtains around patient beds immediately after touching a patient or patient surroundings before washing their hands.

"These matters need to be addressed by the hospital," said the HIQA inspectors.

An inspection of Croom Hospital in Limerick found the cleanliness of some patient equipment on St Mary's ward was substandard.

Red staining was visible on the outer packaging of patient swabs.

Another inspection of Nenagh Hospital in October found it needed to improve the level of awareness about the importance of hand hygiene.