Over the first five months of last year, HIQA found that the majority of providers of disability providers had put systems in place to effectively manage infection prevention and control risks and make improvements to their infection prevention and control practices.
However, in some centres, it found that there was a continued need to improve practice, particularly with gaps in governance, leadership and management oversight to ensure protection against infection.
Where improvements were required, these tended to relate to:
• The overall quality and effectiveness of procedures for the cleaning and decontamination of the living environment and equipment
• The regular maintenance and upkeep of centres to ensure that maintenance tasks, which contribute to good infection control practice, were being identified and resolved in a timely manner
• Consistent adherence to guidelines for both standard and transmission-based precautions.
Last year, HIQA began a new programme of inspections focusing on infection prevention and control in residential services for people with disabilities.
The inspections aim to drive improvements in how residents are protected against the risk of infection. HIQA subsequently met with providers and persons in charge of centres to present an overview of our inspection findings and identify opportunities for learning to them.
Learn more about the inspections at: https://bit.ly/39WwvNP
