The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) says it has significant concerns around the overall approach being taken at Cork University Hospital (CUH) to managing risks to patients from so-called "superbugs".
HIQA says "significant" improvements are required to tackle infection prevention and control practices at the hospital.
Their findings follow an unannounced inspection last November during an ongoing outbreak of Carbapenemase Producing Enterobacteriales (CPE) at the hospital.
Inspectors identified a number of high risks and said they had "significant concerns" around the overall approach taken by the hospital to "effectively manage risks to patients" from these multi drug-resistant organisms.
Similar to HIQA's 2017 inspection, the report was also critical of governance arrangements and outbreak control measures at the hospital saying these need to be significantly strengthened.
In a letter to hospital management last November, HIQA said it found the outbreak of CPE was not being managed in line with the national standards.
Examples cited included the re-opening of the outbreak ward to admissions while the outbreak continued; patients with CPE sharing a room without toilet, shower or hand hygiene facilities; and cleaning, monitoring and auditing not to the required standard.
HIQA's report concluded that given the scale, complexity, and geographical spread of responsibilities of consultant microbiologists in CUH, current resources are insufficient and impact on the hospital's ability to deliver the wider infection prevention and control programme.
The report said it had sought assurances from CUH's Chief Executive Officer who had since outlined measures introduced to mitigate the risks identified by HIQA.
CUH issued a statement this evening saying: "Cork University Hospital welcomes the HIQA report on the unannounced inspection which took place in CUH on the 7th November 2018.
"The report is currently being reviewed in terms of the recommendations contained in the report to include the requirement for additional staffing," said the statement.
