University Hospital Waterford ED had 'good levels of compliance' during HIQA inspection

University Hospital Waterford was found to be functioning effectively and efficiently during an inspection in April, despite it also providing cover for counties normally serviced by University Wexford Hospital. 

The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has published two reports on inspections of the emergency departments of Beaumont Hospital and University Hospital Waterford, which were conducted in April 2023.

The inspections found that the emergency departments of Beaumont Hospital and University Hospital Waterford (UHW) both demonstrated good overall levels of compliance with the National Standards for Safer Better Healthcare.

The hospitals had been adequately resourced to provide a good standard of care, and had worked to reduce staff vacancy rates. Both hospitals had a full complement of nursing staff in the emergency departments at the time of inspection, and had established greater availability and access to consultants and senior decision-makers. Both hospitals also had good access to step-down facilities and beds which facilitated efficient patient flow within and from the hospitals. Furthermore, HIQA found that in recent years both services had managed to move from a situation of persistent overcrowding in the emergency departments to one where such crowding was well managed or not present.

The announced inspection of the emergency department at UHW took place on 18 April 2023, finding compliance with three national standards and substantial compliance with one national standard.

On the day of inspection, UHW’s emergency department (ED) was functioning effectively and efficiently. Although a total of 258 people attended the ED on the day of inspection, there were no patients on trolleys awaiting admission to an inpatient hospital bed at the time of inspection and all patients were receiving care in dedicated treatment areas. While 61 patients were registered in the ED at the time of inspection, care was being delivered in a calm and controlled environment.

The management of patient flow in the ED was further helped by the creation of additional capacity in UHW over the last number of years. For example, the hospital had added 72 additional beds in a new block which has been fully operational since 2019, leading to a current capacity of 510 inpatient and day beds.

HIQA’s Director of Healthcare, Sean Egan, stated that: “The inspections of the emergency departments in Beaumont Hospital and University Hospital Waterford show the positive impact of a well-managed service on patient care. Our findings demonstrate that management had implemented effective operational measures and oversight to support efficient functioning of their emergency departments to reduce overcrowding. A key element in both hospitals had been the increase in available bed capacity both in the hospital and in local step-down facilities – inclusive of those provided in the private sector - to enable patient flow.

“Of particular note is that the inspection of University Hospital Waterford took place seven weeks after the fire at Wexford General Hospital, when the hospital was providing emergency care cover for counties normally serviced by Wexford University Hospital. Despite the high level of patient presentations, the hospital continued to effectively manage its emergency department”.