Hiqa: 1,800 abuse claims in one year

Almost 1,800 allegations of suspected or confirmed abuse of people living in centres for adults and children with disabilities were reported last year.

In its annual overview report for 2015 on the regulation of such centres, the Health and Information Quality Authority (Hiqa) said regulation has brought a cultural change to the sector and has “steadily led to improvements” in the standard of care provided to residents.

Hiqa said that, in 2014, initial inspections showed a lack of understanding within the sector on how to meet the requirements of the regulations and the standards.