Of 35 inspection reports published by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) on Tuesday, non-compliance with regulations and standards was noted at 24 of the centres.
A high level of non-compliance was observed at a centre operated by Saint Patrick's Centre (Kilkenny), where governance and management systems were not ensuring that residents received a quality services, according to the authority.
Inspection reports were also published on two further centres operated by the same provider, with issues noted in areas such as fire precautions, staffing arrangement and governance/management.
In the same county, SOS Kilkenny Ltd operated four centres where the authority said improvements are required. Among the areas highlighted were general welfare/development, notification of incidents and staffing arrangements.
Inspectors found improvements were required at four centres operated by RehabCare, and three operated by Resilience Healthcare Limited and Nua Healthcare Services Limited respectively.
In respect of one of the RehabCare facilities, an urgent compliance plan was issued regarding fire precautions, which was resolved in a day by the operator, while one of the Resilience Healthcare Limited centres was instructed to take immediate action, also in relation to premises/fire precautions.
Non-compliance was identified at two centres operated by Redwood Extended Care Facility Unlimited Company, where medication management and individual assessments/personal plans were highlighted as areas requiring improvement, while two centres operated by Praxis Care were noted as failing to meet the necessary standards and regulations.
St Hilda's Services, KARE and Offaly Centre for Independent Living CLG each had one centre cited as non-compliant following visits by Hiqa inspectors, with fire precautions, medication management and resident care/support among the areas highlighted.
Good practice
The remaining 11 centres included in the latest published reports were found to have a good level of compliance with regulations and standards.
Among the operators of these centres were KARE, L'Arche Ireland, Nua Healthcare Services Limited, St Hilda’s Services and Praxis Care.
Examples of good practice noted at these centres by Hiqa inspectors included residents at a centre in Kildare (operated by KARE) being encouraged to engage in community activities, such as park and forest walks, swimming, clubs and tidy town initiatives, and residents were also aided in decorating their rooms in line with their preference.
Inspectors also highlighted a centre operated by Nua Healthcare Severices in Cork, where residents were involved in caring for animals, looking after three guinea goats on the centre's grounds, and had developed relationships with local farmers who told them about plans for the lambing season and silage.
