The Protecteur du citoyen intervened after receiving a report concerning the quality and safety of the care provided at Hôpital de Hull. The reported problems concerned, in particular, user assessment and monitoring in various hospital units.
Findings
The investigation revealed several shortcomings in the assessment of the users’ condition, including in terms of documentation. The required documents were frequently not completed, or notes were recorded in temporary tools. The lack of notes in users’ files can increase the risk of errors or oversights and affect the continuity of care.
Problems were also observed in the quality of care. For example:
- A lack of documentation concerning pressure sores and fall risk assessment.
- Gaps in pain assessment, relief and monitoring.
- Frequent infection outbreaks in care units for many years.
Another major finding is related to user monitoring. The response to the call button may take longer than the established target. The institution set up hourly rounds to check on the users’ needs and respond to them in advance. Even though these rounds may reduce the use of call buttons, their real effectiveness has yet to be evaluated.
Recommendations
The Protecteur du citoyen has made ten recommendations to the Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de l’Outaouais (CISSS) and one follow-up request. These relate to hospital units on four floors of Hôpital de Hull. The Protecteur du citoyen commends the institution’s good collaboration in the investigation. The CISSS also accepted all the recommendations. The Protecteur du citoyen will monitor their implementation.
Intervention Report concerning Hôpital de Hull (PDF, 287 KiB, in French only)
