The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has today published, for public consultation, draft national Standards for care centres providing residential services to adults and children with disabilities. HIQA is seeking feedback on the draft Standards from interested groups, residents and their families and from the general public.

Dr Tracey Cooper, Chief Executive of HIQA, said: “People with disabilities who live in residential care centres, whether adults or children, have the right to be safe, to receive good care and support and to have access to the services they need to enable them to live a fulfilling life. These national Standards will help form the basis on which people with disabilities living in residential care can achieve these very important outcomes.”

“The draft Standards are based on important principles that will guide residential centres in providing quality, safe and effective care and support in partnership with people living in, or using, residential care services. These principles involve the person always being at the centre of their care and support service, and being enabled to live with dignity, choice and personal autonomy. Proper leadership, skilled and experienced staff and the effective management of resources in the centre are central to ensuring residential services deliver on this vision.”

“The Standards published today represent a revision by HIQA of previous Standards and for the first time bring together Standards for residential services for adults and for children, while at the same time reflecting the different and divergent needs of these two distinct groups. When the registration of residential centres for people with disabilities begins, the registration and inspection process will apply to both centres for children and for adults.”

These national Standards will apply to all care centres providing residential services to people with disabilities whether operated by public, private or voluntary bodies or agencies. Centres requiring to be registered will include congregated services and institutions, group homes, community houses and other types of residential services.

Dr Tracey Cooper concluded: “Following today’s launch of the draft Standards, we would like to hear feedback from children and adults living in these centres and their families, the public and other key groups. Information collected from this consultation process will be used to inform the development of the final set of Standards which will be submitted to the Board of the Authority and then to the Minister for Health and the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs for approval. Subject to approval, they will then become mandated as the national Standards and will then apply across all residential centres for people with disabilities.”

The final date for receipt of submissions is 21 November 2012. To take part in the consultation, please go to www.hiqa.ie, where you can download the draft Standards and an easy to read version and you can also watch the video or listen to the audio version on the standards.

ENDS

Further Information: 

Marty Whelan, Head of Communications and Stakeholder Engagement
01 814 7481 / 086 2447 623 mwhelan@hiqa.ie

Notes to the Editor: 

• Copies of the draft National Standards can be downloaded from our website, www.hiqa.ie.
• Comments can be submitted by completing the consultation feedback form on our website, or by going to our facebook page (search for HIQA on www.facebook.com) or Twitter (www.twitter.com/hiqa).
• You can also email us at consultation@hiqa.ie or post your comments to: Health Information and Quality Authority, Draft National Standards for Residential Centres for People with Disabilities, George’s Court, George’s Lane, Smithfield, Dublin 7.
• These outcome-based Standards represent a revision of the draft National Quality Standards: Residential Centres for People with Disabilities, which were for centres providing residential care to adults only, and draft standards prepared for the start of the regulation of residential services for children under the Health Act 2007. They provide a framework for the development of person-centred residential care for all people with disabilities. They also provide the framework to assess whether residential centres are providing safe and effective care and support for the adults and children who live there.
• Once approved and once the relevant provisions of the Health Act 2007 are commenced by Ministerial Order, the Authority will begin the registration and inspection of designated centres for people with disabilities against the Standards and the relevant Regulations. Each residential centre will be required to provide evidence of compliance with the Standards and the relevant Regulations in order to become, and to remain, registered.
• It is envisaged that inspections against these Standards and the relevant Regulations will commence during 2013.