Northern Ireland

High level health service probe ordered into Clifton nursing home failings

Care failings at Clifton Nursing Home in north Belfast is to be investigated through the SAI process. Picture by Hugh Russell
Care failings at Clifton Nursing Home in north Belfast is to be investigated through the SAI process. Picture by Hugh Russell Care failings at Clifton Nursing Home in north Belfast is to be investigated through the SAI process. Picture by Hugh Russell

A HIGH level health service investigation has been ordered into a scandal-hit nursing home's care failings during the pandemic.

The Belfast health trust has commissioned a 'level three' Serious Adverse Incident (SAI) review into Clifton Nursing Home in Belfast, where nine residents died from coronavirus and 19 staff tested positive.

In a statement issued yesterday evening, the trust confirmed the probe will be "fully independently chaired" and focus on the standard of care delivered at the home, an analysis of decisions made as well as a timeline of events.

"Our responsibility is to our residents who we place in care homes and we have arrangements in place to actively review the standard of care provided," a spokesman said.

"It was during the provision of this support that the trust identified issues in relation to compliance with the infection prevention and control requirements and concerns about the leadership and governance arrangements in the home."

The facility was given repeated warnings by Regulation and Quality and Improvement Authority (RQIA) watchdog inspectors about poor infection control measures.

There was an outcry last month when health minister Robin Swann took the unprecedented step of announcing that all the home's residents were to be "relocated", such was the level of concern about how it was being managed.

However, within 72 hours there was a u-turn when another private healthcare company, Healthcare Ireland, stepped in and offered to temporarily manage the home for six weeks, with residents and staff allowed to stay on.

Two weeks ago, The Irish News revealed that Infrastructure minister Nichola Mallon privately alerted Mr Swann to staff concerns at Clifton Nursing Home last month in relation to PPE shortages, testing and infection control.

Ms Mallon was given written "assurances" on May 1 from a Department of Health official that the situation was under control following a 'risk assessment'.

The department said yesterday the SAI will examine "the interface between the home and the relevant statutory agencies, decisions made and the timeline for those decisions".

Runwood Homes did not comment on the probe.

Concerns about the transparency and robustness of the SAI process have been raised over the past five years, with a trust ordered review into Muckamore Abbey Hospital criticised by families for not going far enough in its investigation into abuse allegations and management's response. The full SAI was never released to the public.

Mr Swann said he expected the Clifton SAI "to be a thorough piece of work, completed in a timely manner".

Meanwhile, the trust said it want to assure the public it is providing support to ensure "residents needs are being appropriately met".