Fourteen disability centres non-compliant, Hiqa finds

Tipperary's Moorehaven centre 'visibly dirty' and finance safeguards were lacking

Sixteen centres were found to have a generally good level of compliance, with a centre in Cork City operated by the Cope Foundation being commended in particular, as residents noted they were 'very proud' of their home. Picture: Sasko Lazarov/Photocall Ireland

Just under half of the 30 designated centres for people with disabilities inspected by Hiqa recently were found to be non-compliant, according to a new report.

The inspections found 14 centres to be non-compliant, with one centre in Tipperary having a “high level” of non-compliance while a centre in Cork City operated by the Cope Foundation was praised, with residents experiencing “a good quality of life”.

A short notice inspection of Moorehaven Centre in Tipperary Town in September 2022 raised concerns in terms of cleanliness and required improvement “to protect against infection”.

Cleaning checklists which were marked as complete “did not correspond with the reality of the premises”, according to the report.

Several bedrooms at the centre were found to be unclean, where debris and items “were left to build up and gather dust”, while empty drinks bottles were left in the corners of rooms.

One shower, in particular, was found to be mouldy while one bedroom was in a “very poor condition”.

The room in question was “visibly dirty” and “packed” with stacks of filled plastic bags, debris, dirty crockery, and waste packaging.

The en-suite had not been cleaned while items were located on “every available surface”.

The report noted: “The person in charge stated they had not been into the room in some time and staff had not ensured that the resident's wellbeing was protected within this environment.” 

The centre was also found lacking in fire safety measures as well as its arrangements to ensure residents’ finances were “safeguarded”.

'Not easy reading'

Chief executive and general manager of Moorehaven James Quilligan said the report was “not easy reading” but allowed the centre to address oversights found in the report.

“We welcome the report because it’s the first inspection in nearly two years. Overall, it does highlight how happy the residents are in their homes and how well things are going,” he said.

“The other side then, obviously, we’ve had non-compliance in a number of areas. The good news is that it has allowed us to put in new controls in infection prevention controls,” he said.

Mr Quilligan said a new audit system has been introduced and the centre has since addressed all concerns in relation to infection prevention.

He said there were no longer any concerns about the safeguarding of residents’ finances.

Sixteen centres were found to have a generally good level of compliance, with a centre in Cork City operated by the Cope Foundation being commended in particular, as residents noted they were “very proud” of their home.

The report noted the centre had increased access due to changes implemented in the kitchen and garden areas.

“Residents spoke about how the changes in their home allowed them to be more social and participate in household chores.

"Residents also used a PowerPoint presentation to show the inspector what goals they were working towards achieving in the year, ” the report read.

However, one concern was the lack of access to day services for some residents, with some saying they found the day “very long” if they remained at the centre.

The report read: “Residents were supported to have a good quality of life, with person-centred care and support provided by a dedicated staff team. However, residents' access to day services and engagement in meaningful activities required further review.” 

Five reports on centres operated by Brothers of Charity Services Ireland found the centres to be non-compliant with issues surrounding fire safety, management of medication, and staffing.

The Brothers of Charity did not respond to requests for comment before the time of publishing.