Steward Health Care report: No staff or supply shortages at Saint Anne's Hospital

FALL RIVER — A court-appointed watchdog evaluating Steward Health Care hospitals for safety and patient care found no “areas of concern” during a recent visit to Saint Anne’s Hospital other than minor kitchen equipment issues.

When Steward Health Care declared bankruptcy and put up its hospitals for sale, the judge chose Suzanne Koenig as "patient care ombudsman." Her job is to inspect the facilities and flag dangers to patients. The Boston-born, Dallas-based for-profit company operates Saint Anne’s, Morton Hospital in Taunton, Good Samaritan in Brockton and other hospitals statewide.

Koenig issued her report Tuesday. Accompanied by a nurse, she visited 15 hospitals in Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida.

What did the Steward Health Care report look at?

Koenig’s report indicates she and a representative visited Saint Anne’s on June 12. They inspected the Emergency Department, pharmacy, pre- and post-operative areas, the Intensive Care Unit, the hospital’s St. Theresa’s, St. Mary’s, Sacred Heart, St. Anthony, St. Catherine’s, St. Dominic’s and St. James medical units, and the hospital kitchen.

The two studied multiple facets of hospital operations: site cleanliness, whether patient charts were filled out correctly, safety measures, if equipment was functioning correctly, even the temperature of food served to patients.

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What did the Saint Anne's Hospital report find?

Koenig’s 12-page report finds, based on interviews with staff and a review of staffing guidelines, that Saint Anne’s is not experiencing staffing shortages in any of the departments studied.

In the hospital’s medical units, the study “did reveal a consistent overstaffing of nursing assistants due to the expected need for constant observation of patients. If a nursing shortage occurred in a unit, the nursing supervisor attempted to address the staffing need by sending additional nursing assistants, if possible.”

None of the departments appeared to be experiencing supply shortages.

An interview with an orthopedic surgeon revealed an “excellent working relationship” with the staff; a member of the hospital's Patient and Family Advisory Council offered only praise for the “caring, compassionate staff at all levels of the organization.”

Did the report find any flaws in Saint Anne’s Hospital operations?

The report noted “some kitchen and other issues in need of purchase, repair or replacement at the hospital," including double convection ovens and a steamer, and noted the kitchen has only one reach-in refrigerator.

While the report noted the kitchen was clean, the process by which staff served the food was inefficient, leaving much of the food cold and needing to be reheated. According to the report, after being advised of a better way to plate the food, “the staff member was receptive to the process and expressed appreciation for a teaching moment.

“Overall, [Koenig] felt that all of the kitchen staff went above and beyond to deliver the food as quickly as possible while ensuring accuracy and good customer service.”

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Steward Health Care report: No staff or supply shortages at Saint Anne's Hospital