Written answer
Nursing Homes
Nursing homes must document, assess and review unwitnessed falls, update care plans, communicate appropriately, and report serious injuries to HIQA where required.
3553. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Health the records or assessments that are required to be completed in a nursing home following an unwitnessed fall, including records of the resident’s position when found, observations, injuries and bruising; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61726/26]
Comment on this
The Chief Inspector of Social Services, in the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), is the national independent regulator of all designated centres for older people in Ireland, including public community nursing units, voluntary and private nursing homes.
Inspectors of social Services play a valuable role in highlighting areas of concern through the findings of their inspections, which enable the identification and introduction of specific interventions to support providers of nursing homes to improve their compliance, and the lives of the residents who live there.
Under the regulatory framework for designated centres for older people, nursing homes are required to have arrangements in place to investigate, document and review all accidents and incidents. Records should be sufficiently detailed to support the resident's ongoing care, demonstrate that appropriate actions were taken, and facilitate learning to prevent future incidents.
Following an unwitnessed fall, good practice requires that staff document the circumstances of the incident, including where and how the resident was found, their position at the scene where relevant, and any apparent injuries. A comprehensive assessment should also be undertaken and recorded, including observations of the resident's condition, neurological observations where indicated, signs of pain, bruising, skin injuries, mobility changes, and any other concerns identified during examination. The resident should be monitored appropriately and any medical review, treatment or referral should be documented.
Nursing homes are expected to maintain accurate incident records, update the resident's care plan and risk assessments where necessary, and document any communication with the resident's family or nominated representative. Where a fall results in a serious injury requiring immediate medical treatment or hospital admission, the provider may also be required to notify the Chief Inspector in accordance with statutory notification requirements.