Westmeath disability centre did not have 'relaxed or safe atmosphere'

The Hiqareport found residents felt "fear, anxiety and upset" at the Gainevale House centre, run by Nua Healthcare Services in Westmeath. File Picture: Sasko Lazarov/Photocall Ireland

Some residents at a centre for people with disabilities were "impacted severely" by the incidents there because systems to protect them from abuse were not satisfactory.

An inspection by the Health Quality and Information Authority (Hiqa) into the Gainevale House centre, run by Nua Healthcare Services in Westmeath, found that residents felt "fear, anxiety and upset" and "there was a lack of timely and consistent response to these type of incidents over a long period of time".