Disability services to be regulated

RESIDENTIAL homes and services for people with disabilities will finally begin to be inspected by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) “this time next year”, the minister of state with responsibility for the sector Kathleen Lynch has said.

There is currently no independent inspection of disability services for children or adults, and no statutory standards that services the sector.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Ms Lynch said standards drawn up by HIQA in 2009 would finally be used to inspect the facilities and this would start by July 2011. Ms Lynch said while HIQA had expressed concern that the standards were not robust enough, she wanted to get the ball rolling. “I believe the ones which are there are adequate so let’s implement them and if they need to be ramped up after that we can do that. They have agreed to that,” she said.