The Health Information and Quality Authority expects to start conducting independent inspections of residential centres for people with disabilities next year.
The authority yesterday launched a consultation document on draft national standards for residential centres for adults and children with disabilities. The standards set out a “vision as to what people can expect from good-quality residential care services”, said Niall Byrne, Hiqa deputy director of social services inspectorate.
There are an estimated 1,700 places in the State where people with disabilities receive residential care.
He said most other jurisdictions had better systems of regulation than Ireland.
If the Minister for Health approved the proposed standards and regulations were drawn up then “we would have a very effective scheme in place”.
Mr Byrne said the degree to which services “are properly centred around the individual person ... and the degree to which people are involved and consulted in relation to their own service” needed improvement.
Tracey Cooper, the authority’s chief executive, said there were two to three times as many residential centres for people with disabilities as nursing homes in the State. Most are in the voluntary sector.
The proposed standards would apply to services provided by all types of providers.
To download the draft standards visit hiqa.ie.
