This article is from page 4 of the 2006-03-28 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
VISITORS to the Mid Western Regional Hospital Ennis can still bring fresh cut flowers when visiting patients, but are warned to leave the gift at home if the patient is transferred to Limerick.
The new policy, described by a spokesperson for the HSE Mid Western area as a matter of hygienic house keeping, results from a belief that infection control in Limerick’s hospital is more urgent than in Ennis or Nenagh.
“Concerns of hygiene are sharper in cases of acute hospitals,” a HSE spokesman said.
The ban in the Mid Western Regional Hospital Limerick will begin on Easter Monday April 17.
The latest national hygiene audit gave the hospital a poor result, at 65 per cent.
The ban on fresh flowers is now commonplace in many acute hospitals, according to the spokesman.
Fears of allergies, accidents arising from water splashing or broken vases, as well as infection, are among the reasons cited to support the ban.
Patient support groups have warned that the ban on flowers could seriously wilt patient’s spirits.
Another critic is a member of the Department of Clinical Microbiology, in Beaumont Hospital.
In a letter to The Hospital Infection Society’s publication, Mr H Humphrey said that infection could be acquired from potted plants or flowers and could arise where organisms colonised the water, or soil,
“However, for the vast majority of patients in hospitals, or in other healthcare facilities, fresh flowers, or potted plants do not represent a risk of infection,” he added.
“Fresh flowers often bring much pleasure and joy to patients who are ill and who may be depressed. Indeed for terminally ill patients, it may be their last chance to see flowers and inhale their scent.”
Separately, a new traffic management system at the hospital in Dooradoyle will see an increase in the cost of paid parking.
The €1.20 all-day fee will increase to €1 per hour, from May 1.
Euro Car Parks have been awarded the contract to operate the new traffic management system. There are no plans to impose pay parking at Ennis general hospital.