HSE clarifies future of Cottage Hospital

The current registration for the facility is from 08/06/2015 to 07/06/2018.

According to a HSE response to a parliamentary question from Sinn Féin Deputy Imelda Munster, the unit will only provide short-term care and will have a maximum 30-day length of stay.

“The contingency plan for ensuring that 30-day length of stay is not exceeded is that on day 20, a multidisciplinary meeting is held and a plan is developed to have [the] resident transferred home or to a HSE contracted or public bed in a community nursing unit where the resident’s needs can be met,” according to the response.

The centre is registered to accommodate a maximum of 23 residents. However, a management decision not to admit over 20 residents at any time due to limited resources had been implemented.

A recent HIQA inspection report into the Cottage Hospital found further improvement was needed in the governance and management of pre-admission assessments to determine suitability of residents, implementation of policies and specifications regarding the terms of contracts and completed agreements, and in relation to the maintenance and repair of the premises, was required.

Staff training and supervision had not been sufficiently addressed at the time of this inspection, according to HIQA.

 As a result, the provider and person in charge were required to take immediate action to address the deficiencies presenting a risk to residents and the service provision.