Safety of children living in Co Monaghan disability centre ‘at risk’

The safety of young people at a Co Monaghan disability centre was “at risk” due to fire safety issues and safeguarding and governance concerns, an inspection by the health watchdog has found.Longfield House, run by Zamab Care Ltd, provides short- and long-term respite care for children aged four to 18. There were two long-term residents at the time of inspection.However, the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) said its inspectors were “not assured that the young people in the centre were safe at all times”.“A serious safeguarding concern had occurred between the two young people in this centre and because of the ongoing risks associated with the older young person that lived in the centre both young people were kept apart at all times,” the report said.READ MORE“The inspectors asked to review the Child Welfare and Protection notification in relation to the incident between the two young people. There was no evidence that this had been submitted.”Hiqa said there was an email from a social worker to An Garda Síochána, but it had not been reported to the other relevant authorities.“Inspectors notified both the HSE & Tusla – Child & Family Agency of concerns pertaining to this centre, following this inspection,” the report noted.For example, there were concerns in relation to fire safety, risk management, safeguarding, premises conditions, and an overall absence of effective governance and management of the service.The centre was registered with Hiqa last November and in February concerns around the care delivered to residents were reported to the watchdog.[ Health watchdog sought closure of Kildare disability centre due to ‘poor governance’Opens in new window ]This inspection found significant levels of noncompliance with regulations and, on March 18th, a cautionary meeting was held with the registered provider due to the level of concern regarding the centre. The inspection report is based on a follow-up inspection carried out on April 21st. The inspectors found there was a complete lack of fire safety measures and that suitable control measures regarding the consumption of safe food had not been adhered to in any effective manner.Hiqa was also critical of the state of the premises, with the bedrooms having broken doors and windows, and showers in two bathrooms being out of order or damaged.“The kitchen was not clean with damp patches on walls with significant peeling and marked paint work,” the report said.“The small living area off this had a broken table, pictures taken off the wall, the television had been removed from the wall and again limited decor was present. It presented as a bleak environment.”The inspectors also noted “mouldy, pungent smelling food” in one fridge, including a tray of rice that had been cooked four weeks earlier.[ Urgent fire safety actions ordered at number of disability centresOpens in new window ]One of the young people was the subject of legal proceedings, but Hiqa found there was a “significant deficit in care and support” for that individual as well as for other children who used the centre.Following the inspection, Hiqa said the provider remains subject to regulatory oversight by its chief inspector.In response to the inspection, the operator said it had introduced a “quality improvement programme” to address the issues raised and improve the safety of the care provided to the children.