An inspection of an East Clare care facility has identified an “urgent risk” in relation to fire safety.
The Ennis Road Care Facility in Meelick has been requested to submit an urgent compliance plan outlining steps to ensure the safe evacuation of residents in the event of an emergency.
Non-compliance was observed in the area of Fire Precautions when Health Information and Quality Authority inspectors visited the Ennis Road Care Facility run by Beech Lodge Care Facility Limited on April 10th.
The centre provides 24-hour nursing care to a maximum of 84 male and female residents whose dependency range from low to maximum care needs and include convalescence care, respite and palliative care.
On the day of the inspection, when 80 residents were present, “obstructed access to a final fire exit door in one compartment” was documented.
Additionally, a “significant drop onto an uneven, flooded surface” was present outside the fire exit, and a ramp has been removed to facilitate construction works – thus rendering the exit ineffective.
As it was observed that the provider hadn’t ensured “risk management systems were effectively implemented” regarding fire safety, the facility was marked just substantially compliant in the area of Governance and Management.
Parts of the facility were also found to be “visibly unclean” – which led to it being deemed just substantially compliant in the areas of Premises and Infection Control.
The Ennis Road Care Facility was however marked as compliant in all other areas – with inspectors stating patients’ found it a “nice place to live and staff were considerate to their needs”.
A detailed compliance plan was submitted to HIQA and the provider has confirmed that in relation to fire safety, “no issues that could not be addressed immediately have arisen since commencement”.
