Hiqa to begin inspection of centres for children and adults with disabilities

Registration and inspection of residential centres for children and adults with disabilities are is to begin later this year for the first time, the State’s health watchdog has announced.

The Health Information and Quality Authority today published the standards which will apply to ensure that people living in centres receive safe and effective care. These 60 standards, which will underpin the process of inspection, apply to all centres, where operated by public private or voluntary bodies.

Phelim Quinn, director of regulations with the authority, described the publication of the standards as a “landmark moment” for disabilities services in Ireland. “From now on, these standards will provide those who use services and their families with a guide as to what they should expect fromm residential services. These standards will be used as a framework to drive continuous improvements in these services.”

The standards state that children and adults who live in residential services should enjoy a good quality of life and live in a place that feels like their home. Grouped under eight key themes, they cover areas such as users’ autonomy, privacy and dignity, and promotion of rights. They also aim to facilitate choice and to safeguard service users from abuse.

Mr Quinn said it was vital that standards of service provided to children and adults were of a consistently high quality, regardless of the provider involved.

About 9,500 people with disabilities live in about 1,200 residential services for people with a disability. Hiqa, which is employing 30 new staff to carry out the inspections, also has responsibility for inspecting residential facilities for older people.

The standards require providers to ensure that every adult or child has a personal plan which describes the supports they need o have the beset achievable quality of life. Restrictive procedures may be used only if there is a serious risk to a person’s safety and welfare.

Residents have to be able to take part in decisions about themselves and to have access to an advocate to speak or act on their behalf if they want one.

Providers are required to manage serious incidents and to learn from things that go wrong. They must also employ enough staff with the skills and experience needed to work effectively with children and adults with disabilities.

Children and adults in residential care should have control over their day to day life and over their money, have information on their rights and have their privacy respected. They should have their own bedroom unless they wish to share.