Inspectors for the state health watchdog have warned that practices for recruiting staff at a Cork nursing home are putting vulnerable residents at risk.

The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) also criticised the Rochestown Nursing Home for failing to protect the finances of its residents.

The report notes that the home has “a history of non-compliance” with state health standards.

The home was ordered not to accept any new residents following an inspection in January.

however, a follow-up inspection in early July found that this order had been ignored – with a number of “significant issues” around staff recruitment and training still unresolved.

The latest inspection – conducted on July 21st – found that staff are being hired without the appropriate garda vetting or references from previous employment.

It found that a number of part-time nurses had no staff files – with no evidence that they were registered with the Irish nursing board.

Inspectors warned that the situation had deteriorated over the three inspection periods – with further staff hired without the required vetting or checks.

Finances

The systems in place to manage patient’s finances were also found to be “not sufficiently robust.”

The home had previously been ordered to improve its systems for managing finances – however these improvements had not been implemented.

The inspectors warned that the governance and management of the centre were not effective to safeguard residents.