Today, the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has published 15 reports on residential services for people with disabilities. 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 and respite services in Ireland.

Inspection reports on 10 centres run by Daughters of Charity found that five centres were ensuring a good level of compliance with the requirements of the regulations and standards. While three centres had made improvements since previous inspections, further improvements were required in areas such as safe and suitable premises, health and safety, meeting residents’ social care needs and safeguarding residents.

Inspectors found that risk was not being appropriately managed in another Daughters of Charity centre. An inspection of one centre, made up of residential houses in the community, found that the provider had not ensured that the service was safe or appropriate to residents' needs. Inspectors found that little progress had been made since previous inspections of this centre, and the provider’s own action plan to address failings had not been implemented.

Four reports relate to centres operated by the COPE Foundation. Three centres were found to be providing a service that, in general, met residents’ needs. In the fourth centre, inspectors were not satisfied that the governance arrangements in place were adequate to ensure safe and consistent support to residents. 

A report on a centre operated by St Vincent’s Care Centre Ltd found that while there were examples of good practice, inadequate staffing was having a significant impact on the centre’s ability to meet residents’ health and social care needs. Inspectors required the provider to take immediate action to address these issues during the inspection.