Residents at centre for disabilities had 'fear and anxiety' because of compatibility issues – Hiqa

File picture: Sasko Lazarov/Photocall Ireland

Representatives of St Michael's House had to attend a cautionary meeting at the Office of the Chief Inspector of the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) after an inspection of one centre for people with disabilities found residents were afraid and nervous because of "compatibility" issues there.

The inspection of the Ardmore residential centre in Dublin 5 found that "residents spoken with expressed they were unhappy with their current living situation. They told the inspector that there was an ongoing incompatibility issue amongst the residents living in the centre, which they were very unhappy about.

They said they experienced "fear and anxiety on a regular basis in the home", which had six residents, and particularly when they observed challenging behaviour.

Residents described feeling pains in the head, chest and tummy on a regular basis, indicating this was how they experienced stress or anxiety. 

"For example, one resident described having a pain in their tummy when they felt nervous."

Residents described incidents where items were removed from their rooms and said they were very unhappy and annoyed with having to leave their home sometimes or having to go to their bedroom for their safety when incidents of challenging behaviour occurred in the centre.

According to the report: "On this inspection, it was not demonstrated the provider had the capacity or capability to provide a good-quality service to meet the assessed needs of all residents."

Hiqa said it was not satisfied that all complaints had been dealt with properly and added: "As a result of poor compliance findings on this inspection and concerns of a safeguarding nature relayed to the inspector, the provider was required to attend a cautionary meeting with the Office of the Chief Inspector the day after the inspection."

The provider was told to address the non-compliances detected in the inspection within a limited timeframe.

Elsewhere, Hiqa has found improvements at a centre for people with a disability that had to be taken over by the HSE, although some residents were still affected by the closure of parts of the same campus.

A follow-up inspection of a St Mary’s Centre (Telford) in Dublin was carried out in relation to residents' care and support following the provider’s application to the High Court for voluntary liquidation. Since then, Hiqa has cancelled the registration and the operation of the centre has been taken over by the HSE.

The Hiqa inspection since the takeover noted improvements in relation to the oversight and monitoring of care and support for residents in the centre, although some residents said they were uncertain as to their own futures within the centre and one said they missed the old staff.

Work was also being done to fill a number of staff vacancies at the facility.

An inspection of the Brook House centre, run by Stepping Stones Residential Care Limited in Dublin, found a number of con-compliances, including the lack of a robust compatibility assessment for residents prior to new admissions.