Kilkenny Care Centre reponse to scabies outbreak was 'poorly coordinated' - HIQA

Eva Osborne

In the latest inspection reports published by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), Kilkenny Care Centre was deemed to have had a "poorly coordinated" response to an outbreak of scabies.

Overall, of the 50 reports published on Ireland's residential care centres for older people, more than half were found to be non-compliant with key regulations.

Non-compliance was identified in areas including: training and staff development, governance and management, premises, individual assessment and care plan, protection, residents' rights, staffing, and infection control.

In the case of Kilkenny Care Centre, while the HIQA reported an increase in compliance overall, the management of an outbreak of scabies was poorly coordinated, and this led to new noncompliance in the area of infection control.

In its report on the centre, the HIQA said: "A significant number of residents and staff had shown signs of a contagious skin infestation since September 2024.

"A clinical diagnosis of scabies was made by the GP, and a dermatologist review of one case confirmed crusted scabies, which is a severe and more contagious progression of scabies infestation.

"The Public Health team were notified, and an outbreak of scabies was declared by Public Health on May 29th, 2025. Documentation confirmed regular contact with Public Health in recent months; however, only one outbreak control meeting had taken place to date."

A review of the outbreak management by inspectors identified that the response to the scabies outbreak to date had been fragmented and lacked coordination and oversight, which the HIQA said likely contributed to the "persistence of the issue".

"The provider was required to take urgent action following this inspection to ensure there was local oversight, supervision and assurance mechanisms in place to ensure that the outbreak was effectively managed."

Of the other 24 centres, two inspection reports focusing on the use of restrictive practices were found to be fully or substantially compliant with the National Standards for Residential Care Settings for Older People in Ireland.

A further 22 centres were either fully compliant or substantially compliant with the regulations.

In general, these centres were found to be meeting residents’ needs and delivering care in line with the national standards and regulations, the HIQA said.