Negative impacts for people with disabilities at Limerick centre – Hiqa

A centre for people with disabilities in Limerick was not meeting the needs of residents, resulting in negative impacts on their physical and psychological wellbeing, a report by the healthcare watchdog has found.

The Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) published 22 reports on Wednesday on residential services for people with disabilities.

Nine were found to have a good level of compliance with regulations and standards, including centres operated by ChildVision, CoAction West Cork CLG and Enable Ireland Disability Services Limited.

Hiqa said it found areas of non-compliance in 13 centres.

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Reports on nine centres run by Brothers of Charity Services were published and inspectors found compliance with regulations in three of them. Evidence of non-compliance was found in six centres.

Hiqa said one of these centres was inadequately meeting a resident’s nursing care needs but that this issue was addressed following the inspection.

Fire safety works

“The provider had failed to complete the required fire safety works in another centre due to a lack of resources. In a third centre, the provider did not demonstrate effective oversight of safe medicines management practices,” Hiqa said.

Inspections at a further three Brothers of Charity centres found that while recommendations from previous inspections had not yet been fully implemented, progress was being made and was having a positive impact on the quality of care that residents received.

At the Desmond Community Residential Houses run by the Brothers of Charity Service in Limerick, the inspectors said the provider had identified that the needs of residents in one house were “not compatible” and that the designated centre was not suited to meeting each resident’s assessed needs.

There was evidence of action taken by the provider, including the allocation of additional staff supports since December 2016. While this had improved the situation somewhat, there was concerning evidence of negative impacts on residents’ physical and psychological wellbeing.

The provider told Hiqa an alternative residence had been purchased in August last year to replace the house over which there were fire safety concerns. It is planned that it will be ready for occupation by the end of March.

An inspection was also carried out at the Camphill Communities of Ireland centre in Grangemockler, Co Kilkenny after Hiqa received unsolicited information in relation to medicines management and staffing arrangements.

Improvement actions

Hiqa said the concerns were substantiated by the inspection and the provider was required to take improvement actions.

Reports on five centres run by the COPE Foundation found just one to be operating in compliance with the regulations.

Inspectors found the provider was not taking adequate measures to manage risk to residents’ safety and quality of life in the other four centres in areas such as fire safety, lack of resources, premises and residents’ contracts of care.

Two reports for centres operated by Ability West found a good level of compliance with regulations, but Hiqa said some improvements to safeguarding practices were required in one centre.

While an inspection of one Cheeverstown House Limited centre was found to be compliant with the regulations and standards, the provider was not providing adequate social care, medicines management, governance and management, or workforce arrangements in a second centre.

At the Cheeverstown House residential service for senior citizens in Dublin 6w, the inspectors found some changes had occurred since the previous inspection. But they found it to be “majorly non-compliant” in four areas, including social care needs, medication management, governance and management, and workforce arrangements.

Hiqa’s inspectors also found improvements were required in relation to respecting the privacy and dignity of each resident in relation to their living space.