A Tipperary facility for residents with intellectual disabilities has received a negative report from the Health Information and Quality Authority.
HIQA deemed the quality and safety of care and support offered to residents at Damien House Services in Clonmel inadequate following an inspection in late November and early December 2018.
There were 12 residents in the facility – which comprises 3 houses and an apartment – on the dates of the short notice announced inspection on the 28th of November and 4th of December last year.
The centre was found to be non compliant in 25 of the 28 areas examined, and substantially compliant in the other 3 – meaning some work has to be done to bring them up to full compliance.
The report found that two serious choking incidents which required staff intervention and the transfer of residents to hospital were not been reported to HIQA.
It also found a rescue medication for one of the residents in relation to the management of epilepsy was not appropriately managed. There was no protocol in place to guide the decision to administer the medication.
In one of the houses the bathroom facilities were not appropriate, and there was a strong smell of urine in the main bathroom, and mould on the ceilings and walls.
Inadequate structures in relation to fire safety and staffing issues, as well as instances of missed appointments and some recommended referrals not being made for residents are just some of the other issues highlighted in the report.
