Our inspections and engagement with people with disabilities show that residents have better experiences when living in community-based settings, with their own space.
Our 2020 inspection findings show that residents living in campus-based or congregated settings experienced disparities in the quality and safety of their care and in their ability to independently exercise their rights, compared with residents living in community settings.
HIQA carried out over 750 inspections in disability services in 2020. Inspections found that the majority of centres provided a good quality of care and support to residents and there was increased compliance in key areas, such as safeguarding and positive behavioural support, across centres since 2019. However, there continues to be significant variance in the level of non-compliance in congregated settings compared to community-based settings.
HIQA’s Deputy Chief Inspector of Social Services (Disability), Finbarr Colfer, said:
“While we found that there were improvements in compliance in congregated settings, the level of non-compliance remains significantly higher at nearly double the level of non-compliance found in community-based settings. Many residents living in campus-based or congregated settings experienced inequalities in the quality and safety of their services, control over their own lives and their ability to independently exercise their rights and choices. Those who lived in smaller homes often had more control and choice around their day-to-day routines, including important aspects of everyday life that many take for granted such as engaging in their local community, going for exercise and participating in the preparation and cooking of their meals.”
Over the past few years, we have been running resident forums to gain feedback from residents outside of the inspection process about their experiences. In 2021, we met with 20 such groups, where residents told us about their experiences living in a congregated or campus-based settings with many other people and moving into housing in the community.
On 3 December, to mark International Day of People with Disabilities, we shared a video outlining these experiences in residents’ own words.
When asked what a home meant to them, residents told us they were happy when they had their own space and did not share homes with a lot of people.
Some residents we spoke with had lived in congregated settings for a long time and told us of their delight at being able to decorate their bedroom in their new home.
Watch the video here or read the full report on our work in 2020 to find out more.