Dear Editor,
We wish to refer to your coverage of a report on the Sacred Heart Hospital in Castlebar by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA ).
The report lists numerous shortcomings and states the HSE was addressing these. It is noteworthy that there is not one positive comment on the good aspects of the hospital.
As members of a local conference (branch ) of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, who visit the hospital on a weekly basis, we feel it is our duty to mention these positive aspects.
Before listing these may we point out that all our members have many years experience of visiting all units of the hospital – some members have been visiting the hospital for more than 40 years.
The positive aspects of this hospital are:
Courteous reception in every unit.
Helpfulness in locating patients and advising of their needs.
Excellent bedside manner by nurses, nursing aides, and domestic staff of all grades.
Attention to patient's comforts.
Cleanliness of wards, bed linen, and utilities.
Excellent physiotherapy and speech therapy which is evident from the weekly improvements of patients.
Excellent meals and special diets catered for.
While accepting that HIQA has a role to fulfil, it would appear that weaknesses only are reported on. Should HIQA continue in this mode, then it is obvious that in a few years there will be no nursing homes or hospitals like the Sacred Heart Hospital due to inability to meet HIQA's standards. Resultantly HIQA will be declared redundant.
As a parting comment we wonder is all of this negative reporting (By HIQA and the HSE ) part of a hidden agenda to close the Sacred Heart Hospital and its equivalents, thereby reducing costs while administrators have less to do.
Sacred Heart Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, Castlebar, Co Mayo.
