Today, the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has published 23 inspection reports on designated centres for people with disabilities. Inspection reports have been published on centres operated by: Delta Centre CLG; Waterford Intellectual Disability Association CLG; Prosper Fingal CLG; St Hilda's Services; St John of God Community Services CLG; St Joseph's Foundation; St Michael's House; Sunbeam House Services CLG; The Rehab Group; and Western Care Association.

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

• A centre in Kilkenny operated by Waterford Intellectual Disability Association CLG, staff sought to support residents and reduce restrictive practices. For example, one resident was taught how to enter the code for the keypad on their front door and they were seen to do this on the day of inspection.
• Residents had access to an outdoor area where they enjoyed basketball and a garden to grow their own fruit and vegetables at a centre in Kerry operated by The Rehab Group. One resident living there enjoyed drawing, and staff had adapted frames in the centre in certain areas so the resident could highlight their art.
   

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:
 

• Improvements were required across a range of regulations in six centres operated by St Michael's House. An inspection of one centre identified wellbeing and safety concerns. The inspector found that while efforts were being made to reduce the risk of safeguarding incidents, further measures were needed to ensure their effectiveness. 
• At a centre operated by Sunbeam House Services CLG, deficits in staff training posed a risk to the care and support provided to residents. The provider was required to submit an urgent compliance plan following the inspection, which provided assurances that the necessary actions would be taken to bring the centre into compliance.
• An inspector issued an immediate action to St John of God Community Services CLG to improve the premises of a centre, and steps were taken during the course of the inspection to remedy the issue.

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.