The Health and Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has issued several inspection reports into nursing homes in the country highlighting issues around staffing levels, fire safety, and infection control.

Two of these reports concern nursing homes in county Mayo.

A HIQA inspection of a private nursing home in Ballyhaunis, has found that significant issues remain at the home and that staffing levels remained low and inconsistent.

It also found that there was insufficient infection control and the fire safety systems were not adequate.

Brookvale Manor Private Nursing Home was inspected on 9 November.

It is registered to provide long-term and short-term care for up to 57 adults over 18 and on the day of inspection there were 36 residents.

A previous inspection in June during a Covid-19 outbreak had found multiple non-compliance related to governance and management, staffing and infection control in the centre.

The latest inspection found that while some progress had been made significant further action was required.

A HIQA inspection of a community nursing unit in Ballina found senior management did not properly support and oversee staff at the centre during a Covid-19 outbreak and there were ineffective infection control measures.

St Augustine's Community Nursing Unit on Cathedral Road in Ballina is operated by the HSE and provides nursing care to long stay and respite residents who have increasing physical frailty, some living with
dementia and others requiring assistance with mental health or palliative care needs.

HIQA inspectors visited the unit on 29 October 2020 following notification of a Covid-19 outbreak. At the time of the inspection 22 residents and 26 staff had tested positive for Covid-19. The infection outbreak was still active at the time of this inspection. This was the first outbreak of Covid-19 in the centre.

The inspectors found that governance and management arrangements in place during the outbreak were inadequate.

Both reports can be found in full on the HIQA website.