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

Of these 25 inspections, inspectors found a good level of compliance with the regulations and standards in 16 centres, including in centres operated by the Health Service Executive (HSE); St John of God Community Services; St Joseph’s Foundation; St Michael’s House; Sunbeam House and Waterford Intellectual Disability Association. At the time of inspection, the provider was ensuring a good standard of support and care that met residents’ needs in these 16 centres.

Non-compliance with the regulations and standards was found on nine inspections.

Inspections of three Sunbeam House centres found that improvements had been made in all three centres since HIQA’s previous inspections. However, in two centres further improvements were required to strengthen risk management and safeguard residents. 

Seven inspection reports on centres operated by the HSE have also been published today. Inspectors found that the standard of care and support being provided in four centres was safe and of good quality. However, in one centre, residents told inspectors that they were unhappy with their accommodation. In another centre, improvements were required to ensure complaints were addressed and that incidents were notified to HIQA. 

In a campus-based centre that the HSE had taken over in 2016, inspectors found that the premises was in a poor state of repair, there were insufficient staff to meet residents’ assessed needs and there was limited access to meaningful activities for residents. Inspectors have been monitoring this centre closely and a follow-up inspection will be published in the coming weeks. 

Inspections on 10 centres operated by St John of God Community Services show that seven centres were compliant with the regulations and providing good quality care to the people who lived there. An inspection of a centre, located on a campus, found that staffing resources were insufficient to support residents to access the community. In another centre, the provider was required to strengthen fire precautions, such as servicing fire equipment, to ensure residents were adequately protected from the risk of fire. 

An inspection of another centre operated by St John of God Community Services found that the provider had limited oversight of the care and support being delivered to residents. For example, some staff did not have up-to-date training in critical areas such as manual handling and safeguarding residents from the risk of abuse. There were also deficits in risk management in the centre and some units were found to be in a poor state of repair.

Reports on three St Michael’s House centres have also been published today. While two centres were meeting residents’ needs in line with the regulations and standards, in a third centre the provider was required to improve the management of risks, in particular around fire safety.  

All reports and compliance plans are available on www.hiqa.ie.