Today, the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has published 30 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 30 inspections, inspectors found a good level of compliance with the regulations and standards in 16 centres operated by a number of providers including; Health Service Executive (HSE), Kerry Parents and Friends Association, Muiríosa Foundation, Nua Healthcare Services Limited and Peter Bradley Foundation CLG.

Examples of good practice observed by inspectors included:

• At a centre in Sligo operated by the HSE, residents who had recently moved out of a congregated setting were experiencing new opportunities to make decisions about their lives and how their new home should be run. Inspectors were told that residents had been welcomed into their local community and had been invited by their neighbours to a family celebration. 
• Residents in a centre in Laois operated by Nua Healthcare Services Limited were actively supported to develop their personal interests. Residents spoke about looking forward to returning to horse riding, while another resident showed inspectors their guitar and spoke about their love of rock music. Other residents told inspectors about educational courses they had recently completed and their keen interest in astronomy. 
• Both residents and staff at a centre in Sligo operated by the Peter Bradley Foundation CLG spoke enthusiastically about how they liked living and working at the centre. Residents spoke about the centre’s therapeutic garden where they grew vegetables, with one resident telling inspectors about how they used this new knowledge when they left the centre and returned to their own garden at home. 

Inspectors identified non-compliance with the regulations and standards on 14 inspections.

HIQA has published eight inspection reports on centres operated by the HSE where non-compliance was identified. In four of these centres, improvements were required in a number of areas such as; governance and management, protection against infection, food and nutrition, residents' rights, staffing, general welfare and support, fire precautions and protection. 

In four HSE centres based in a campus setting in Donegal, inspectors identified high levels of non-compliance associated with the governance and management of the centres. Governance at the campus had not ensured residents were protected from the risk of harm and received quality care and support. Due to poor oversight arrangements at the centres, the HSE was instructed to submit a detailed improvement plan for the whole campus which is subject to ongoing monitoring and inspection by HIQA.

In a centre operated by Peter Bradley Foundation CLG, non-compliance was found in areas such as governance and management, general welfare and development, premises, protection against infection, fire precautions and residents' rights.

Areas of non-compliance were identified at a centre operated by Kerry Parents and Friends Association in areas such as governance and management, notification of incidents, risk management procedures and protection.

Inspectors identified non-compliance in relation to how residents’ finances were protected, at a centre operated by Kingsriver Community Holdings CLG. 

Non-compliance for fire precautions was found in three separate centres operated by Muiríosa Foundation, IRL-IASD CLG and L'Arche Ireland.