Hiqa report finds 13 disability centres with compliance issues

Thirteen centres across the country were found to have issues with non-compliance of regulations.

A new report by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) has shown that 13 centres for disabled people had issues of non-compliance.

Four of those centres were run by the HSE.

In total 29 inspections were conducted, the results of which were published by Hiqa on Wednesday morning.

The majority (16) were found to have a "generally good" level of compliance.

Some 13 were found to have issues with non-compliance of regulations.

• Waxwing in Clare was found to be mostly compliant but was found to have problems with four regulations, including medicine training for staff being out of date, an imbalanced workload for management, and personal plans for residents needing updated.
• Delta Birch in Carlow had three incidents of non-compliance, including residents' personal files, which contained personal information being stored on an open space in a communal space. Hiqa said that this did not adhere to the residents' rights in terms of privacy around their personal information. Furthermore, on the day of inspection, the provider was unable to identify if all residents had their own bank accounts
• Hillview in Westmeath, run by the HSE, had one issue for the third straight inspection — with no date set for completed works as previously requested by Hiqa.
• Florence House in Wexford, also run by the HSE, had seven issues of non-compliance, many of which had been found in previous inspections. For example, the inspector observed a thick layer of dust on two bathroom air vents.
  There was also no flushing schedule in place for one wash-hand basin. Residents' choices and control in their daily lives were also limited at times due to daily schedules.

High standards 

However, the report by Hiqa also noted that some centres had excellent standards for their staff and residents.

At a centre in Killarney, operated by Kerry Parents and Friends Association, interactions between staff and residents were observed to be "positive and respectful while promoting the residents’ means of communication". 

Many residents attended local day service, while some had been supported to retire and live a more "relaxed life of their choosing."

Another centre in Westmeath inspected by Hiqa was found to give residents access to a large back garden with a picnic bench, a basketball net, a trampoline, and a spider web. 

Each resident had their own bedroom and each room had an en-suite facility. Residents communicated that they were happy living in their home and that the staff were nice.