Today, the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has published 31 inspection reports on designated centres for people with disabilities. Inspection reports have been published on centres operated by: Health Service Executive (HSE); Muiríosa Foundation; Nua Healthcare Services Limited; S O S Kilkenny CLG; and Stewarts Care DAC.

Today’s publication includes four reports which are part of HIQA’s programme of thematic inspections of adult safeguarding in designated centres for people with disabilities. The programme focuses on assessing the safeguarding measures that are in place in designated centres for people with disabilities and aims to promote quality improvement across services.

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

• At a centre in Laois operated by Nua Healthcare Services Limited, a resident described their home as a great place to live and spoke fondly of their peers, saying that they enjoyed sharing meals together. This resident also spoke about the holidays they had taken with other residents and discussed plans to travel to Northern Europe later in the year with another resident and staff members from the centre.
• Residents had plans for holidays later in the year and some residents were working towards improving their garden, at a centre in Kilkenny operated by S O S Kilkenny CLG. The inspector met with some of the residents as they returned home in the afternoon.
   

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:

• Poor governance at a centre operated by the HSE impacted on the welfare of residents. While incidents were recorded, the provider had not taken sufficient action in response to reduce these risks. In addition, residents did not have adequate recreational activities which was a repeated finding from previous inspections. In response, the provider undertook to arrange a safeguarding workshop for staff and reduce restrictive practices impacting upon residents living at the centre. 
• Improvements were required at four centres operated by the Muiríosa Foundation. In one centre, an urgent action was issued to the provider to review a resident’s mobility needs and supports due to recent falls. Following the inspection, written assurances were provided to the Chief Inspector that this review had been completed. In another centre, the provider had reduced staffing supports available at times when residents were at risk from safeguarding incidents. In response, the provider gave assurances to align staffing with residents’ needs and support alternative accommodation for residents to reduce safeguarding risks.
   

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.