The Health Information and Quality Authority says it issued immediate high risk letters to 7 public acute hospitals over poor hygiene practices.
In it's latest survey, HIQA found these hospitals had problems with environment and facilities management, hand hygiene, communicable disease control and unclean patient equipment.
It also found that all hospitals could do more to improve hand hygiene and environmental cleanliness.
Commodes, mattresses, mattress covers, blood glucose monitoring kits and temperature probe holders were all found to be unclean.
HIQA carried out the unannounced inspections at 49 out of 50 public acute hospitals between February 2014 and January 2015.
Speaking to Lunchtime today, HIQA’s Acting Director of Regulation Mary Dunnion outlined some of the issues that were highlighted in the report, mainly the cleanliness of the hospitals:
