HIQA warns of 'unsafe' care service at St John of God care centre
More than 200 accidents and incidents were recorded last year at one care centre run by St John of God, watchdogs have revealed.
Inspectors from the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) said there were 234 reports including assaults among residents, physical and verbal abuse, violence and aggression, exposure to bodily fluids, falls, self injurious behaviour, unexplained bruising and marks on residents, and residents going missing.
They said that the service at the Bliain Orga centre in Co Louth was "poor quality, unsafe, undignified and inappropriate".
Inspectors also found two serious incidents last September, when a resident needed medical treatment but this was not reported to Hiqa as required under law.
It is not the first time Hiqa has raised concerns about standards in the centre, which is home to 20 people in four houses, many of whom have "significant individual and complex medical needs".
Inspectors said they reviewed a folder containing 70 "allegations of abuse" forms from 2015 which mainly involved assaults between residents and instances of violence and aggression.
Hiqa said, more recently, one resident had reported an assault on another resident as staff did not witness it.
Inspectors went in unannounced in January and found that management had failed to meet a deadline to re-home some of the residents in more suitable and appropriate places in the community by last September.
Three houses have been sourced locally to offer people in the home a new place to live, the report said.
Hiqa said it had received a number of serious notifications in the months before they went back in.
Inspectors said management could not give them basic information about the numbers and types of incidents in the centre on the day and they said there was uncertainty about the frequency of incidents and inconsistent reporting.
They said: "Residents were in receipt of a poor quality of service, the premises were not suited for their stated purpose and the governance and management arrangements in place were not adequate to ensure residents were safe in their home."
And the report added: "Both management and staff informed inspectors that they knew the centre was not meeting the residents' needs."
There are also issues with outdated design of the centre, with small bedrooms and some communal bathroom facilities.
In a separate Hiqa report on St John of God's Ladywell Lodge, also in Co Louth, issues were raised over privacy, dignity, opportunities for social engagement and institutional practices facing the 12 residents.
Inspectors said that listening to Mass on the radio or listening to music were listed as "meaningful day activities".
In a third report, St John of God's Broomfield centre in Co Louth, which offers respite breaks to adults and children in a seven-bedroom house, was found to be unsuitable.
Hiqa said it got a tip-off about a resident going missing and inspectors found a report on the incident was never made to the watchdog.
It found instances of residents assaulting one another, serious aggression, property being damaged and staff being assaulted.
It warned that there was an "inappropriate mix" of residents, with children as young as seven exposed to challenging behaviour.
A spokesman for St John of God Community Services said the vast majority of incidents in Bliain Orga resulted in no injuries or negligible or minor injury.
He also said the delayed re-homing of residents will take place this year.
The spokesman added: "The move to community living will provide residents with high-quality services and supports.
"Residents will be provided with the required level of support to empower and enable residents to be active members of the community in which they live."
