Inclusion Ireland criticises Hiqa over care-homes inspections

The State’s health watchdog may be helping to conceal abuse in care homes by failing to carry out comprehensive inspections, a report claims.

The Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa), which inspects residential units for the intellectually disabled, is "not listening" to this community, according to the report from Inclusion Ireland.

The organisation analysed the first 50 inspection reports of residential services for people with disabilities drawn up by Hiqa last year.

Only 11 per cent saw people with a disability and asked for their views of the service, according to the working paper.

Notable gaps

More than half of the inspection reports were of centres comprising two or more living places, so it was not possible to identify which units complied with regulations, the paper says. The majority were partial and not comprehensive, and ignored areas touching on quality of life for residents.

“As a result, the voice of the resident was extremely faint or silent in the reports,” it says. “There were few, if any, quotes from residents and scant references to comments by families or on completion of Hiqa questionnaires.

“Partial inspections may be complicit with concealment of abusive care practices in unexamined units.”

Confidence undermined

Inclusion Ireland chief executive

Paddy Connolly

said confidence in the inspections process was critical given the failure of Hiqa’s regime to uncover the abuses at Áras Attracta. A high level of announced inspections was also undermining the process.

Criticising Government inaction on disability, he said the Lunacy Regulation (Ireland) Act 1871 should be repealed and the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Bill introduced without further delay.

Hiqa declined to comment, other than to say it has carried out 547 inspections in the area.