HIQA has published reports on six inspections carried out at designated centres for people with disabilities in Donegal. In total, the centres catered for 17 residences at the time of the inspections in August, September and October of last year.
The six inspections in the county were part of a review of all such centres in Donegal due to concerns about overall governance and oversight of HSE centres, in light of the findings of the Brandon Report.
Some non-compliances were noted in four of the centres, all of which have been addressed.
The first of the inspections took place at Riverwalk Respite House, where two residents were living on a full time basis. No non-compliances were noted.
The Riverwalk Respite Report can be viewed HERE
HSE Statement:
‘Riverwalk House is a designated centre run by the Health Service Executive (HSE) in Community Healthcare Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan, Sligo.
It comprises of a one-storey building located in Inishowen in Co.Donegal on the outskirts of a town within close proximity to local amenities such as shops and restaurants. The centre
provides accommodation for up to three residents. The centre was originally established as a Residential Respite service, however, in recent years the centre has been providing full
time care for two residents. The residents are supported by a team of nursing and care staff.
In addition to their own bedrooms, residents have access to communal facilities which includes a kitchen-diner, two sitting rooms, a laundry room and bathroom facilities.
The Centre was inspected on the 24/08/2022 and twelve regulations were inspected on this date. There were no areas of non-compliance identified in this inspection. Of the twelve
regulations inspected six were found to be compliant and six were deemed substantially complaint.
An action plan was returned to HIQA to address the areas of substantial compliance. Actions including the following:
– The service will continue to work with HSE Human Resources department to recruit staff into vacant positions.
– Staff training was reviewed and dates scheduled for staff to attend as appropriate.
– A Wifi Policy is under development as part of the wider Policy Review process in Community Healthcare Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan, Sligo Disability Services.
The HSE will continue to work ensure that a high quality of service is maintained ongoing
within this centre.’
At Railway View, where three residents are based, the centre was found to be non-compliant in the area of Training and Staff Development. The report notes those issues have been addressed.
The Railway View Report can be viewed HERE
HSE Statement:
‘Railway View is a designated centre run by the Health Service Executive (HSE) in Community Healthcare Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan, Sligo Railway View provides twenty four hour full-time residential support for three residents, some
of whom have complex support requirements. The centre is comprised of a detached bungalow which is located on a small campus based setting. Each resident has their own bedroom. The bungalow has considerable collective space and spacious gardens to the rear and the front. The centre is staffed on a 24/7 basis by nurses and Health Care Assistants. The house is within walking distance of a town in Co. Donegal and transport is provided to accommodate residents accessing community based facilities. The Centre was inspected on the 18/10/2022 against eleven regulations.
Six regulations were deemed to be fully compliant with standards, four were found to be substantially compliant and one was deemed not to be compliant. The HSE has taken actions to ensure standards in the centre are compliant with regulations as follows:
– A staff training needs analysis has been undertaken within the centre and a number of identified trainings have been scheduled for staff to complete.
– Management within the centre will ensure that all building maintenance works identified as requirements will be documented and carried out in a timely manner.
– A Safe Wifi Usage Policy for the Service is currently under review and will be finalised by year end. The policy will then be implemented in full by the centre.
– A staffing review will be completed within the centre to ensure staffing requirements are appropriate to the support needs of residents. The centre’s documentation to include its Statement of Purpose for HIQA registration will then be updated accordingly.
The HSE will continue to work to ensure that a high quality of service is maintained within the Railway View centre.
At Finnside, a three resident facility, no non-compliances were noted.
The Finnside Report can be viewed HERE
HSE Statement:
‘Finnside is a designated centre run by the Health Service Executive (HSE) in Community Healthcare Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan, Sligo.
Finnside provides residential care and support to three adults with disabilities. The centre is comprised of a six bedroom detached bungalow in Co. Donegal and is in close proximity to a
small town. The service benefits from having its own mode of transport for access to community-based activities and amenities. The service is staffed on a 24/7 basis and the
staff team includes a Person in Charge, a Clinical Nurse Manager 1 and a team of staff nurses and healthcare assistants.
The Centre was inspected on the 18th and 19 th October 2022.
This inspection was a follow up inspection to review actions required arising from an inspection by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) in March 2022 and service
improvement plans. A number of further improvement actions have been undertaken since the inspection and include:
– The Centre’s roster is reviewed daily to ensure it is reflective of the staff on duty daily.
– A full review of staffing within the centre was completed
– A Support Needs Assessment for all residents will be completed by year end to inform further the care plans for each individual.
– A review of the Centre’s training matrix for all staff has been completed and will be monitored on a monthly basis.
– A schedule of Staff Governance Meetings has been arranged.
– A review of audits with particular reference to the Safeguarding and Health and Safety audit has been completed and actions arising from the audits are included and monitored on the Centre’s Quality Improvement Plan.
– A review of all restrictive practices within the Centre has been completed.
– All residents will be assessed by the Speech & Language Therapist to determine their communication needs and their requirement for assistive technology and documented on each resident’s personal care plan.
– A night time fire drill has been completed and residents’ Personal Evacuation Plans have been updated.
– A Safe Wifi Usage Policy for the Service is currently under review and will be finalised by year end.’
The HSE will continue to work to ensure that a high quality of service is maintained within this centre.’
At Edencrest and Cloghan Flat, there was non-compliance in the area of Training and Staff Development. Again, that has since been addressed.
The Edencrest & Cloghan Flat Report can be read HERE
HSE Statement:
‘Edencrest and Cloghan flat is a designated centre run by the Health Service Executive (HSE) in Community Healthcare Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan, Sligo.
Edencrest and Cloghan flat provide full time residential care and support to adults with a disability. The designated centre is comprised of a six bedded bungalow and a one bedroom flat located within a campus setting operated by the HSE. Five residents in the bungalow have their own bedroom and have access to a kitchenette, dining room, two sitting rooms,
clinic/visitors room and bathroom facilities. Cloghan flat provides self-contained accommodation with a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living room. The centre is located in
a residential area of a town which is in close proximity to amenities such as shops, leisure facilities and cafes. Residents are supported on a 24/7 basis by a staff team of both nurses
and health care assistants.
The Centre was inspected on the 10 th October 2022.
Eleven regulations were inspected. On inspection six regulations were found to be compliant, four regulations substantially compliant and one was deemed non-compliant. The HSE has taken actions to ensure full compliance with residential standards is achieved.
The actions are as follows:
– A training needs analysis has been undertaken within the centre and a number of identified areas of training needs has been scheduled for staff to complete
– The governance within the centre will ensure that all maintenance and upkeep works needed to the building will be documented and carried out in a timely manner
– The registered provider is developing a new policy on safe Wifi usage for all residents who access the service
– All documentation including rosters has been updated to reflect the times and grades of staff that will be assisting the residents throughout the day/week
The HSE continue to work to ensure that a high quality of service is maintained ongoing within this Centre.’
The six resident Dreenan Ard Greine Court was found to be non compliant in the area of notification of incidents, an issue which has since been addressed.
The Dreenan Ard Greine Court report can be read HERE
HSE Statement:
‘Dreenan is a designated centre run by the Health Service Executive (HSE) in Community Healthcare Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan, Sligo.
It provides residential care and support to four adults with disabilities. The centre comprises a six bedroom detached bungalow in Co. Donegal and is in close proximity to a local town.
The service benefits from having its own mode of transport for access to community based activities and amenities. The service is staffed on a 24/7 basis and the staff team includes a person in charge, a Clinical Nurse Manager 1, staff nurses and healthcare assistants.
The Centre was inspected on the 27th and 28th September 2022.
This inspection was a follow up inspection to review actions required arising from an inspection by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) undertaken in February 2022.
A number of actions have been undertaken to address deficits identified on the day of inspection to include the following:
– The centre’s roster is reviewed daily to ensure it is reflecting accurately the staff on duty.
– A full review of staffing needs within the centre has been undertaken.
– A review of the training matrix for all staff has been undertaken to ensure staff are fully compliant with all mandatory training and will be monitored continuously.
– Audits within the centre have been reviewed with particular reference to the Safeguarding and Health and Safety audits undertaken.
– This centre’s Quality Improvement Plan will continue to be monitored on a weekly basis by the Person in Charge to ensure all actions are being completed timely.
– All notifications in relation to safeguarding incidents have been submitted to the Regulator.
– Outstanding maintenance work to the building has been completed.
– A Safe Wifi Usage Policy for the service is currently being developed.
The HSE will continue to work ensure that high quality services are delivered and maintained within this centre.’
At the three resident Cloghan centre, non-compliances were noted in both Governance and Management and notification of incidents. Again, the issues have been addressed.
The Cloghan report can be read HERE
HSE Statement:
‘Cloghan is a designated centre run by the Health Service Executive (HSE) in Community Healthcare Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan, Sligo.
Cloghan provides residential care and support to adults with disabilities. The centre is comprised of a four bedroom detached bungalow in Co. Donegal and is in close proximity to a small town. The service benefits from having its own mode of transport for access to community based activities and amenities. The centre has a large private parking area to the
front and a private garden area to the rear of the property. The service is staffed on a 24/7 basis and the staff team includes a person in charge, a team of staff nurses and healthcare
assistants.
The Centre was inspected on the 27 th and 28 th September 2022. This was an unannounced inspection by HIQA. There were eleven regulations reviewed at the time of the inspection.
Compliance was achieved in three regulations and six regulations were deemed to be substantially compliant and two regulations were deemed non-compliant.
The HSE has taken a number of actions to ensure full compliance with residential standards is achieved. These actions are as follows:
– A full review of staffing within the centre has been undertaken to ensure that a consistent staff team are available to provide a quality service for the residents living in the centre.
– Regular agency staff have been assigned to the centre to ensure consistency of supports for all residents.
– A Clinical Nurse Manager 1 position is currently being progressed for this centre.
– A support needs assessment will be completed for all residents within the centre.
– All notifications will be submitted to the HIQA within the required timeframes as per the regulations.
The HSE will continue to work ensure that a high quality of service is maintained ongoing within this centre.’
