Cope boss grilled over allegations of verbal abuse of care home residents

The head of a disability service was summoned to a showdown with watchdogs after staff faced repeated allegations of verbal abuse of vulnerable residents in a care home.

Colette Kelleher, chief executive of the Cope Foundation, which cares for more than 2,300 children and adults with intellectual disabilities in Cork, was asked to address what inspectors branded “completely inadequate protection from abuse”.

The Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) said the alleged abuse took place in the Ard Dara centre in north Cork City during inspections in both March and June last year.