Today, the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has published 25 inspection reports on designated centres for people with disabilities. 

Inspection reports have been published on centres operated by: Avista CLG; Corlann; Health Service Executive (HSE); Horizons; KARE, Promoting Inclusion for People with Intellectual Disabilities; Muiríosa Foundation; Nua Healthcare Services Limited; St John of God Community Services CLG; and Talbot Care Unlimited Company.
Today’s publication includes nine 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 Westmeath operated by the HSE, an activity coordinator arranged activities for residents across the service such as Bocce, bowling, and going to the cinema. A musician visited the centre on a weekly basis to play music and host sing-songs for the residents.
• Residents said that they enjoyed going for walks, shopping, and loved arts and crafts, during an inspection of a centre in Laois operated by Muiríosa Foundation. Residents proudly showed their artwork which was displayed in their bedroom and in the sitting room. They also mentioned that they enjoyed going for coffee, eating out and getting takeaway meals at the weekends. A resident spoke about how they were looking forward to celebrating an upcoming birthday, visiting family for Easter and going on a planned holiday with one of their housemates.
   

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:

• Residents were impacted by poor living arrangements at a centre operated by KARE, Promoting Inclusion for People with Intellectual Disabilities. The premises was not meeting residents’ needs, and the provider had not assessed residents’ compatibility. In response, the provider undertook to review residents’ risk assessments and make adaptations to the premises. In addition, since the last inspection of this centre, one resident had started attending regular appointments with a number of health and social care professionals and receiving support for their changing needs. The provider had also engaged with the resident and their representative to review the suitability of the centre to meet their needs.
• An immediate action was issued at a centre operated by Avista CLG to ensure all fire evacuation routes were clear to ensure the safety of residents and staff. The provider acted promptly to address the matter and the issue was resolved on the day of the inspection. 
• While an inspection of a centre operated by Corlann found residents were in receipt of good quality care provided by a consistent staff team, some improvements were required. Support for residents’ decision-making and privacy required improvements. In addition, the provider had not ensured all risks for residents had been adequately assessed to ensure appropriate arrangements were in place to manage those 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.