Today, the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has published 34 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 34 inspections, inspectors found a good level of compliance with the regulations and standards in 18 centres operated by a number of providers including; Kerry Parents and Friends Association, L’Arche Ireland, Little Angels Association Letterkenny, Muiríosa Foundation, North West Parents and Friends Association for Persons with Intellectual Disability, Nua Healthcare Services Limited, Prosper Fingal Company Limited by Guarantee and Saint Patricks Centre (Kilkenny).

Examples of good practice observed by inspectors included:

• At a centre operated by L’Arche Ireland, residents spoke about the activities they enjoyed doing. One resident has recently taken up knitting, while another resident showed the inspector the garden and its bird boxes and hedgehog homes. Another resident showed the inspector a cake that they had made as well as certificate they had been awarded for completing a course on COVID-19 awareness.
• Residents at a centre operated by Nua Healthcare Services Limited were supported to actively make choices on how the centre operated. Residents attended weekly meetings where they discussed any complaints and expressed their views on changes in the centre.
• Residents at a centre operated by Muiríosa Foundation spoke with satisfaction about the care and support they received. Residents were also supported to access the local community, and were involved in shopping trips and going out for meals with their families. 

Inspectors identified non-compliance with the regulations and standards on 16 inspections. 

Non-compliance was identified in areas such as premises and protection against infection in two centres operated by Inspire Wellbeing Company Limited by Guarantee. Non-compliances were also identified in the areas of protection, general welfare and development, governance and management and staffing.  

HIQA has published three inspection reports on centres operated by KARE, Promoting Inclusion for People with Intellectual Disabilities where non-compliance was identified. Improvement was required in areas such as fire precautions and infection control.

Inspections of five centres operated by the Muiríosa Foundation identified non-compliance in regulations such as staff training, staffing, governance and management, infection control and fire precautions.

An inspection of a centre operated by Peamount Healthcare found non-compliance in the areas of staffing, governance and management, personal possessions, general welfare and development and fire precautions. 

An inspection of a centre run by Peter Bradley Foundation Company Limited by Guarantee found improvements were required in residents’ general welfare and development, the premises and fire precautions. 

In an inspection of a centre operated by RehabCare, non-compliance was found in the areas of policies and procedures and fire precautions. 

Two centres operated by Resilience Healthcare Limited were found to require improvement in areas such as governance and management, fire precautions risk management, infection control, positive behavioural support, protection and residents’ rights.

Finally, a centre operated by Saint Patrick’s Centre (Kilkenny) centre was required to make improvements in infection control and the notification of incidents to HIQA, in line with the regulations. 

Read all reports at the link below