THE health watchdog has issued warnings to one of Northern Ireland's leading private hospitals following "significant concerns" about patient safety procedures.
Failings around fluid management, patient consent and discharge letters were among the issues flagged up by the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) during a three-day unannounced inspection of the Ulster Independent Clinic (UIC) in Belfast.
The regulator also discovered that some doctors at the Stranmillis road facility were working without providing proof they had insurance or mandatory training - with the watchdog ordering its management to "urgently review and resolve the issue".
The detailed inspection, which took place last January, highlighted the failure of the hospital to alert doctors to the dangers of a treatment involved in the deaths of five children in hospital, which led to the north's longest running public inquiry into hyponatraemia related deaths.
"We identified significant issues relating to the management of fluids for one patient receiving care in UIC," the RQIA said.
A further inspection took place in November during which the regulator said it was "not assured that sufficient safeguards were in place to protect the safety and wellbeing of patients".
The hospital has been given until February 23 to improve procedures.
A UIC spokesman told The Belfast Telegraph: "At the Ulster Independent Clinic we take our responsibilities regarding governance extremely seriously and are working with the RQIA to strengthen our existing administrative and governance procedures even further."
