There was a “consistent level of abusive interactions” within a residential care centre for adults with disabilities in Co Westmeath which “impacted severely” on the well-being of some of the residents, a report from the State’s health watchdog has found.
An inspector from the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) said staff and residents at Gainevale House indicated the centre was not always a “calm and relaxed or safe atmosphere”.
The announced inspection, which took place last July, found the centre was not compliant in six out of 18 regulations. Of the 21 inspection reports published by Hiqa on Monday on designated centres for people with disabilities, a good level of compliance with the regulations and standards was found in 18 centres.
The inspector said the systems for the protection of residents from abuse “were not satisfactory in a number of areas” at Gainevale House.
“The inspector found that despite appropriate policies and procedures there was a consistent level of abusive interactions within the centre which impacted severely on the well-being of some residents,” the inspection report said.
‘Lack of timely response’
“The inspector found that the collective assessed needs of the current group of residents were challenging for staff to manage safely in this group living environment, which was known by the manager of this service to be a significant contributing factor to these incidents.
“From a review of the notifications, the records held in the centre and from speaking with staff, it was evident that there was a lack of timely and consistent response to these types of incidents over a long period of time.”
The inspector noted that some interventions had been introduced over various periods of time but that the records indicated these resulted in “short term changes only” and were not sustained.
The inspection at Gainevale House was carried out in response to “a number of significant notifications” and “other information of concern” received by the chief inspector.
This inspection found that there were governance systems and structures in place for oversight and direction of care. However, despite this, improvements were required in a number of areas to ensure the quality of life, safety and well-being of the residents.
The inspector also noted that infection control procedures were in place and the provider had implemented a range of strategies to prevent and manage the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Sanitising systems were undertaken in the centre and on the vehicles. However, it was of concern that on the day of the inspection the inspector did not observe any sanitising systems available at suitable points in the premises,” the inspection report said.
“While one was eventually located by staff at the request of the inspector, the inspector was advised that this was not the usual situation but there was no clear explanation for the deficit on the day, which in the current public health crisis could pose a risk to all persons in the centre.”
Governance
Separately, a Hiqa inspection of Sligo Semi-Independent Accommodation operated by RehabCare found non-compliance with regulations and standards relating to the governance and management of the centre which provides residential support to adults with an intellectual disability.
“The governance and management systems required review to ensure that the centre was effectively and consistently monitored at all times and that actions arising from audits were under ongoing review to ensure timely completion,” the inspection report said.
“The annual review of the quality and safety of care and support in the service was not available in the service for review, nor were any associated documentation such as resident questionnaires as part of the consultation process.”
