The health watchdog, HIQA, has found that a care facility in Kerry was non-compliant with eight out of 13 regulations relating to patient care.
Inspectors carried out an unannounced risk inspection at Camphill Community Dingle on July 3rd, following an inspection last March, which found a high level of non-compliance with regulations.
At the time of inspection in July, the residential centre was home to seven adults with mild to moderate disabilities, as well as autism.
The centre can facilitate a maximum of eight residents, and the inspectors had the opportunity to meet with six on the day.
Inspectors observed that the staff were at hand to immediately assist residents should they show distress.
They observed that residents engaged in activities they enjoyed and appeared overall happy in their home.
Ongoing improvement was required in relation to areas including governance and management, staff training and development, individualised personal plans, care plans, and residents’ rights.
Camphill Community Dingle was found to be compliant in three areas of regulation, substantially compliant in two, and non-compliant in eight areas.
Areas of compliance and substantial compliance included training and staff development and risk management.
The areas of non-compliance included fire precautions, governance and management, complaints procedures, protection, and healthcare.
An incident that took place in June had not been notified, this was of an allegation, suspected or confirmed, of abuse to a resident.
Urgent actions were issued to the facility under regulations for governance and management, as well as complaints.
In relation to governance and management, the provider had not ensured appropriate actions had been taken in line with the compliance plan response from the inspection completed in March. Under this regulation the provider was required to submit an urgent compliance plan to address an urgent risk, and the response did provide assurance that the risk was adequately addressed.
With regards to complaints, it was found that the provider had not ensured that all complaints were investigated promptly. A record of all details of any investigation into the complaint, outcome of the complaint, and action taken was not present on the day of the inspection.
Camphill Communities of Ireland, the service provider, has committed to addressing these failings.
Management of Campill Community Dingle have stated that they are committed to creating a culture of dignity, respect, and safety within the centre.
They said that the findings have served as an important reminder to remain vigilant and proactive in upholding residents' rights.
The management team has committed to continue to work closely with staff to embed these standards into everyday practice and to ensure that the centre remains compliant with all regulatory expectations.
This includes correct storage of files containing residents' personal information, staff re-education on the importance of respecting residents' privacy, and carrying out audits of staff behavior and interaction with residents by the person in charge.
This includes giving notice of adverse incidents within three days of their occurrence, maintaining a record of all complaints, making personal plans available to all residents, and providing appropriate healthcare to each resident.
