Amy Blaney
Problems with infection control, staffing and fire safety measures have been identified in 10 centres for people with disabilities, the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) has found.
A report, published on Wednesday, found the centres to be non-compliant with regulations and standards following the inspection of 24 designated centres.
Improved infection control measures were required at three centres.
At Tralee Residential Services, a centre operated by Kerry Parents and Friends Association, Hiqa said the centre had not ensured all staff had undertaken required infection control training and a centre-specific infection prevention and control policy was not in place.
Mould
“Mould was present on the ceiling of the house’s utility room. Such mould was also observed to be present on the ceiling of one’s resident bedroom.
“In the kitchen of the same house, both inspectors observed that part of the floor needed further cleaning and did not appear to have been thoroughly cleaned in some time,” noted the inspector report.
The report also identified issues with the cleaning of bathrooms.
“In one bathroom the shower door was seen to be unclear, as noted by the dark-coloured substance present, while in another bathroom it was observed that the toilet bowl clearly required further cleaning,” said the report.
It also noted an absence of sanitising gel, disposal bins and a “noticeable odour”.
Fire safety
At Teach Shingán in Co Wexford, concerns relating to fire safety measures were identified. The centre, operated by provider Co Wexford Community Workshop (Enniscorthy) CLG, was required to take immediate action to ensure that residents could be safely evacuated from the centre.
Hiqa also found the provider was not currently in a position to fully operate the centre to its maximum capacity due to staffing issues. A number of staff vacancies had resulted in the respite centre having to close on occasions or offering care in a reduced capacity as the provider did not have a full staff team.
This had been identified by the provider as a difficulty and they had decided to offer reduced capacity services while an active recruitment drive was ongoing.
Donegal
Four inspection reports have been published on centres operated by the HSE in Co Donegal where high levels of non-compliance were previously identified.
Following a recent inspection of the Edencrest and Cloghan Flat in September 2021, the inspector found that care and support to residents had improved.
However, although the centre was in the main in a good state of repair and condition, the inspector did observe some paint damage in the dining room as well as burn mark damage to the work surfaces in the kitchenette.
The inspector found further improvements were still required to ensure governance arrangements were effective and ensured residents’ needs were consistently met.
During an inspection of a centre operated by Enable Ireland Disability Services Limited, staff were observed to be wearing face masks incorrectly.
In addition, a centre operated by GALRO Unlimited Company required deep cleaning in order to protect residents from infection.
Finally, a centre operated by Cheeverstown House CLG required improvements in areas such as fire safety, infection control and the premises.
