Non-compliance in delivery of care and resident support identified in eight disability centres

Eva Osborne

Non-compliance that impacted the delivery of care and support to residents has been identified in eight designated centres for people with disabilities.

The Health Information and Quality Authority's (HIQA) inspection reports revealed that poor governance was identified at a centre operated by Kerry Parents and Friends Association.

An immediate action was issued to the provider to improve fire safety measures and improvements were also required in the premises.

At a centre operated by Lotus Care Limited, staffing arrangements required review to meet residents’ needs and improvements were required in residents’ finances.

Poor governance was identified at a centre operated by Nua Healthcare Services Limited. The oversight and management of safeguarding incidents required improvement by the provider to meet residents’ needs.

At another centre, operated by Nua Healthcare Services Limited, improvements were required in meeting residents’ personal needs and development.

At a centre operated by MyLife by Estrela Hall Limited, improvements were required by the provider to support residents’ activities and development. Poor governance and oversight to meet residents’ needs were identified at a centre operated by Horizons.

The management of risks and residents’ personal plans required updating at a centre operated by Muiríosa Foundation.

Finally, improvements to the premises were required at a centre operated by St John of God Community Services CLG.

Good level of compliance

Out of 22 inspections, the remaining 14 centres were found to have a generally good level of compliance.

They were operated by a number of providers including: Avista CLG; Brothers of Charity Services Ireland CLG; Enable Ireland Disability Services Limited; Health Service Executive (HSE); Nua Healthcare Services Limited; Resilience Healthcare Limited; St Catherine's Association CLG; The Cheshire Foundation in Ireland; and Praxis Care.

At a centre in Limerick, operated by Avista CLG, one resident explained how staff listened to them and followed up if any issues arose.

The resident outlined some of their achievements which included advocating for other peers with local politicians and representatives.

They had been involved in discussions regarding the positioning of a public bus stop to better meet the needs of those with mobility issues and to make the location safer for all passengers.

The resident spoke about how they volunteered their time in a number of community settings each week.