Call For Safety Standards Audit At Waterford Hospital

Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Health, Billy Kelleher TD, has called for a full audit of health and safety procedures at Waterford Regional Hospital.

The request comes after a HIQA report found unsafe hygiene practices at the hospital.

In a statement, Deputy Kelleher explained: "The report released by the Health Information Equality Authority (HIQA) today is extremely alarming.

"The fact that patient safety and welfare is being put at risk is a source of grave concern. The HIQA report raises some very serious questions that need to be addressed urgently at Waterford Regional Hospital.

"Staff in every hospital up and down the country are under severe pressure because of cuts to hospital budgets and the moratorium on recruitment. Hospital management must immediately put in place a comprehensive audit to establish to what extent patient safety is being put at risk in Waterford and other hospitals mentioned in the report.

"The HIQA report must be dealt with urgently, patient safety must not be put in danger. There can be no compromise with safety standards at hospitals."

He continued: "A hospital environment that is unclean and where emergency supplies of needles, syringes and medications are stored on unsecured trollies in corridors is not safe and the public should not be exposed to these conditions.

"Minister James Reilly's silence on this issue has been deafening. Last weekend we learned that patient safety is being threatened across the health service due to understaffing lack of resources. These issues deserve immediate attention from the Minister."

(JP/IT)