Radiology services in Longford Town have received high praise following the release of an inspection report. HIQA inspectors visited the X-ray department at the St Joseph's Care centre in May of this year. The x-ray unit in St Joseph's Care Centre in Longford performs up to 6000 scans per year. The images are sent to local GPS and the radiology department at Regional Hospital Mullingar for examination.
Inspectors examined the service earlier this year finding them fully compliant in all areas but one, with a substantial compliance noted in that case. The inspector reviewed a sample of referrals and spoke with staff and management at the facility on the day of inspection. The service was found to be fully compliant in areas such as procedures, equipment, referrals and optimisation. Minor issues were noted around the issue of medical exposures to X-ray radiation, with a record of justification in advance of an exposure not evident in all procedures reviewed.
Addressing the issue management confirmed that staff will be continue to be reminded to adhere to Radiation Safety policies and procedures. Overall, the inspector was satisfied that there was a clear allocation of responsibility for the radiation protection of service users at X-ray facility
