Inspectors raise 'significant safeguarding concerns' at home for people with disabilities

The State's health services watchdog has told the provider of a home for people with disabilities that it must ensure that the residents are safe.

Health Information and Quality Authority inspectors raised “significant safeguarding concerns” at Damara, a centre operated by St Patrick's Centre in Kilkenny.

Following an unannounced inspection in April the provider was instructed to take immediate action to ensure that the seven residents were appropriately safeguarded.

The inspectors found that not all adverse incidents were reported to the office of the chief inspector.

All staff had received up-to-date training in the safeguarding and protection of vulnerable adults and children.

However, inspectors found that the training and safeguarding policy did not appear to be guiding safe practice following an allegation of abuse.

On several occasions, staff members did not notify the senior member on duty for a significant length of time.

A representative of the organisation acknowledged that they were not satisfied or assured by the outcomes of several investigations.

After the inspection, the provider said all of the safeguarding issues would be thoroughly reviewed and amended as a matter of priority.

Another centre, Grangemore Rise, operated by St Michael's House in Dublin, was found to be in breach of 11 of the 14 regulations inspected against.

An unannounced inspection of the centre took place last April when there were six adults with a disability living there.

Inspectors wanted to follow up on the compliance plan submitted by the provider after they had identified serious shortcomings in December last year.

They were not assured that there were effective governance and management arrangements to ensure safe care of residents.

They were several outstanding issues that the provider had promised to have addressed by January but had not done so.

There was a good level of compliance with the regulations and standards in 22 of the 28 inspection reports published by Hiqa.