A TOTAL OF ten care homes for older people, inspected by authorities during the summer this year, were found to be non-compliant in four or more regulations.

This included one HSE-run facility in Co Laois where, a report states, inspectors from the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) could not locate plans for how staff de-escalate potentially challenging behaviour from residents.

The latest batch of reports from Hiqa come from 46 inspections carried out at the beginning of summer this year. Most findings show the standard of care at facilities across the country is compliant with regulations.

Levels of non-compliance varied across the inspections. Just 13 centres had breaches of care standards evident during announced and unannounced reviews of their facilities, the records show.

One HSE-run centre in Co Cork did not have proper fire precautions, a report stated, while an inspection at another home, run by a private provider in Co Tipperary, identified examples where residents had limited control over their quality of care.

In the latter case, which was an unannounced inspection of Drescator Limited’s Rathekeevan Nursing Home in Tipperary, inspectors said action was needed from management to ensure that residents could “fully exercise their rights”.

At the HSE-operated home in Laois, management said that all members of staff had received training in de-escalation but they would be provided with a two-day workshop in September on communication and person-centred care.

Additional training days are scheduled towards the end of the year also, and changed have been made to paperwork and reporting mechanisms. Independent audits of these care plans have also been organised.

In all circumstances where non-compliance had been identified by inspectors, providers have since responded to Hiqa and outlined what corrective action would be taken to prevent further breaches of care standards and regulations.

One report, detailing an inspection of another HSE-run care home in Co Mayo, identified staff shortages and, while there was enough staff to care for the residents on site, additional members would be needed if new residents arrived.

In response, the HSE said that all vacant posts had since been filled and that the local management of the site were waiting for approval on relevant paperwork, according to the national recruitment strategy, ‘pay and numbers’.