Beaumont Hospital Compliance with National Standards for Safer Better Healthcare

Beaumont Hospital welcomed the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) report published this month on an inspection of its emergency department.

HIQA carried out an unannounced inspection of the emergency department at Beaumont Hospital on 13 April 2023, finding substantial compliance with all four standards assessed.

Paddy Clerkin, Chief Operations Officer at the RCSI Hospital Group said “We welcome this report and acknowledge the crucial and valuable contribution of HIQA in advancing safety and excellence in healthcare services. Efforts to uphold high standards of care are ongoing, and we recognise the dedicated commitment of the Emergency Department staff in Beaumont Hospital who deliver exceptional individualised care despite the physically challenging setting.”

The inspection found that the emergency department of Beaumont Hospital demonstrated good overall levels of compliance with the National Standards for Safer Better Healthcare. The hospital had been adequately resourced to provide a good standard of care, and had worked to reduce staff vacancy rates.

The Hospital 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 the service 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 hospital had an escalation policy to manage delays in triage times which incorporated actions when registration to triage times surpassed 15 minutes. Furthermore, the hospital’s ‘Beaumont in the Home’ initiative supported the discharge home of patients awaiting a care package. The scheme involved a number of visits from a healthcare team to the patient until a care package was available through community care. This initiative was established under the governance of Beaumont Hospital, in conjunction with the HSE Community Health Organisation area 9 (CHO9).

View the HIQA report

The full HIQA report on compliance with the National Standards for Safer Better Healthcare is available on the HIQA website. Click here to access the report.

For further information regarding the HIQA report

Please contact Ms. Susan Moloney, Quality and Patient Safety Manager at susanmoloney@rcsihoispitals.ie