Today, the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has published 28 inspection reports on designated centres for people with disabilities. Inspection reports have been published on centres operated by: Ability West; Autism Initiatives Ireland CLG; Barróg Healthcare Limited; CoAction West Cork CLG; Communicare Agency Ltd; Corlann; Health Service Executive (HSE); Horizons; Nua Healthcare Services Limited; St John of God Community Services CLG; and Sunbeam House Services CLG.

Inspectors found good practice in many of the centres inspected, including:

• A centre in Cork operated by Corlann, residents were supported to have annual personal planning meetings which identified goals that they wanted to complete in the coming year. For example, one resident had attended a concert that they had chosen to go to and another resident was being supported to plan a holiday. 
• Residents’ goals were aligned to their interests at a centre in Kildare operated by St John of God Community Services CLG. Recent examples included trips to museums, studio tours, the zoo, concerts and musical theatres in Dublin, and to the Knock Shrine. One resident was in training for bocce events with Special Olympics Ireland for 2026 and they were supported to attend their weekly training sessions. 
   

Some centres were required to make improvements to enable the best possible outcomes for residents. Providers of these centres submitted compliance plans outlining the changes they will make following the inspection. These included:
 

• In 2025, HIQA published an overview report of governance and safeguarding in designated centres operated by Sunbeam House Service CLG as part of a regulatory escalation programme which concluded in February 2026. During an inspection of a centre operated by Sunbeam House Services CLG, inspectors found that the provider had established robust management systems to monitor the quality and safety of the service provided to residents and that the governance and management frameworks in place were operating at a high standard within the centre. However, further improvements to risk management procedures were required in the centre. 
• Several issues relating to the premises were identified at a centre operated by Barróg Healthcare Limited. The provider responded promptly to the concerns raised by inspectors and a facilities manager attended the centre on the day of the inspection and met with inspectors to review the required actions.  
• Improvements were required across a range of regulations in five centres operated by Corlann. In one centre, information about residents was on display which impacted residents’ privacy and a review of a restrictive practice was required. The provider’s subsequent compliance plan outlined their measures to improve compliance. 
   

Editor’s notes:
 

• HIQA inspects against the Health Act 2007 (Care and Support of Residents in Designated Centres for Persons (Children and Adults) with Disabilities) Regulations 2013 and the National Standards for Residential Services for Children and Adults with Disabilities, which apply to residential services for people with disabilities in Ireland.