Junior Health Minister Ann Rabbitte is promising a review of the HSE’s management of residential disability centres in Donegal and the North West.
It’s after the HSE’s fitness as a provider of such centres in the region was questioned by HIQA,
The concern was expressed two months after the partial publication of the Brandon Report which putlined abuse of fellow residents by a person in Ard Greine Court and the Sean O’Hare Unit in Stranorlar.
In one instance, HIQA notes, “a very serious incident” regarding the online behaviour of a resident at one centre, which is believed to relate to a resident viewing material of child sexual exploitation online.
The regulator says it was not informed when this occurred in 2016, 2017 or in July 2021. It received notification of the most recent incident in October last year.
Minister Rabbitte told Greg Hughes on today’s Nine til Noon Show that the review into the service will be independent, and focussed on people……………….
HSE response –
Firstly, it is important to state that HIQA have informed the HSE that there were no current safeguarding concerns arising from their unannounced inspections, completed in January, across all Disability designated centres in Donegal. The HSE expects an aggregate report on these inspections in the coming week from HIQA.
In relation to your query, the HSE can confirm that a written response was provided to HIQA on 16th December 2021 following immediate verbal engagements on receipt of the letter on 10th December 2021.
The correspondence acknowledged a shared concern for HIQA and the HSE regarding governance and safeguarding, including assessment of the need for and type of enhanced national oversight external to CHO1. This is building on significant improvement initiatives already taking place where HIQA also acknowledged progress in that same correspondence to the HSE.
Immediate actions took place between national HSE and CHO1 in order to provide assurance, as requested by HIQA, on any immediate safeguarding concerns. In addition, further engagements have taken place between HIQA and the HSE on our separate interventions where the HSE have progressed a full systems analysis regarding the management of the incidents.
The HSE are also constructing a wider governance review of Disability services in Donegal which will build on the improvement work to date to continue to address HSE’s own concerns and further informed by the most recent findings from the Regulator
