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	Residents in a HSE-run nursing home were forced to go for a month or more without a shower or bath because of staff shortages, a report reveals.</p>
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	Some elderly people also suffered the indignity of dying in old-style wards with only a thin curtain for privacy.</p>
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	A litany of problems at the St Patrick&#39;s Community Hospital in Summerhill, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim, was described last night as &quot;absolutely unacceptable&quot;.</p>
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	The four-unit building, which dates from 1841, is home to 82 residents over the age of 65 years, some of whom have dementia or are receiving palliative care.</p>
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	Inspectors sent into the home for two days last March by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) discovered:</p>
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	Fire safety equipment was missing and evacuation plans were not in place.</p>
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	Some residents had fallen repeatedly and were not adequately protected from further injury.</p>
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	A number of patients were in bed all day because of a lack of appropriate seating equipment.</p>
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	And medication practices were not adequately supervised.</p>
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	Shockingly, the inspectors said that &quot;personal care such as showers and baths were not frequently offered to residents&quot;.</p>
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	The general practice was to off a shower once every two weeks - however, this did not always happen.</p>
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	&quot;Inspectors found that on occasions when residents had declined the offer of a bath or shower, or if there was no staff available on that particular day, residents had not received a shower or bath for a month or more,&quot; Hiqa said.</p>
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	They found there were only three dining room tables and five chairs available for 12 residents in a male ward area.</p>
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	Water temperature was also too hot at 49 degrees.</p>
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	While inspectors noted the residents were treated with respect and kindness by staff, the privacy and dignity of residents was affected by having to live in dormitory-style bedrooms.</p>
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	Even people who were dying continued to be mostly cared for in these rooms with the only privacy provided by a light curtain around their beds.</p>
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	&quot;Visitors and staff had full view of all residents, including residents near the end of life and their family members as they walked through wards,&quot; said the report.</p>
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	There were not sufficient staff with the right skills, qualifications and experience to meet the assessed needs of residents.</p>
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	In response to an action plan set out by Hiqa, the HSE said it has taken a number of measures including updating evacuation plans and training for staff. Additional staff are being recruited to allow residents bathe regularly.</p>
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	Justin Moran, Head of Advocacy and Communications in Age Action Ireland, told the Irish Independent the report makes for &quot;distressing reading&quot;: &quot;The results of this inspection clearly show what happens when there are insufficient funds to support long-term care and a failure to plan for our growing older population.&quot;</p>
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	<a href="http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/health/residents-in-hse-nursing-home-left-for-month-or-more-without-a-bath-or-shower-31394942.html">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/health/residents-in-hse-nursing-home-left-for-month-or-more-without-a-bath-or-shower-31394942.html</a></p>
