The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has today published 20 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 across all disability services in Ireland.

Two of today’s reports refer to centres operated by Camphill Communities in Ireland. While some improvements were required in one centre, the centre was generally providing safe services that were focused on meeting the needs of residents. In the other centre, a number of improvements had been implemented which resulted in positive outcomes for residents. However, inspectors were not satisfied that the provider had implemented actions following previous inspections to improve the safeguarding arrangements.

Inspections in eight centres run by St John of God Services found that five centres were meeting the needs of residents. However, significant risk was found in three centres. Failure to effectively safeguard residents was found in a campus-based centre. This centre failed to meet the health and social care needs of residents and major non-compliances were found in nine of the 12 outcomes inspected.

Another campus-based centre operated by this provider did not meet the needs of residents. A number of serious notifications regarding the health, safety and welfare of residents had triggered an unannounced inspection. A third St John of God centre did not have effective governance and management systems in place. Improvements were required in healthcare plans, activity provision and fire safety procedures.

Ten inspection reports for nine Brothers of Charity centres have also been published. Compliance with the standards and regulations and the ability to adequately meet residents’ needs were found in three of these centres. Two unannounced inspections in one centre found that while significant progress towards meeting the regulations had been made in this centre since March 2016, residents were not adequately safeguarded from physical altercations from other residents. Inadequate staffing levels further meant that safeguarding recommendations could not be implemented.

Improved living arrangements had been implemented in one centre operated by Brothers of Charity. While this is positive for residents, non-compliance continued to be found in the area of staff training. In another centre where improvements works were overdue to begin, residents expressed to inspectors their frustration and anxiety at the delay in getting back to their home.

Three other centres also managed by this provider were not meeting the needs of residents. In one of these centres, residents’ dignity was not always protected and a lack of funding meant residents were not enabled to move to housing in the community which may better meet their needs. In another centre, staff did not have the necessary training to meet residents’ complex behavioural support needs. An announced inspection in the third centre found that the number of staff working in the centre was not sufficient to meet the needs of residents.