HSE 'to expedite move to community living' from Swinford centre

THE HSE has welcomed the publication of HIQA’s inspection reports today which were carried out at Áras Attracta between 2015 and 2017.

The report acknowledged that while progress has been made at Áras Attracta, that staff are caring and respectful in their roles, the general health and well-being of residents is being met, full compliance in respect of a number of areas needs to be further addressed and on which the HSE is taking decisive action.

These areas are being treated as a priority by the Chief Officer and his team in Community Health Organisation 2 (Galway, Mayo, Roscommon) with an emphasis on sustaining the progress already made and advancing it further.

Stated Mr. Tony Canavan, chief officer, said: “HIQA has made very valid findings in its report. Central to resolving the issues identified, including safeguarding, is to progress as rapidly as possible the de-congregation programme for Áras Attracta.

“Over the past 18 months this progress has been slowed by challenges in the housing market in identifying, acquiring, and converting suitable accommodation in the community.

“While we don’t expect the housing boom to ease off in the foreseeable future, in order to overcome these challenges, we are continuing with our programme of sourcing suitable accommodation through our own estates management unit and through commissioning a number of specialised housing providers.

“While we have taken many steps to improve safeguarding, the single most significant thing we can do to address the concerns raised by HIQA in this area is to accelerate the process of de-congregation.

“By the end of 2017, it is anticipated that 16 people will have moved to their own homes in the community and preparation is well advanced to facilitate a further 20 residents to move in 2018.

“We will continue to work with residents, their families and staff to ensure services continue to improve on site while making this transition.

“We have always acknowledged that the process of de-congregation will take a number of years and therefore, it was important to also ensure that the lives of residents continued to be enhanced, while they remained on the site of Áras Attracta.

“This has been achieved in a number of ways. We have reduced the ratio of clients to staff allowing for more personalised care. We have opened a number of “community transition houses” on site in order to prepare residents to move into their new homes in the community.

“We have implemented rigorous safeguarding and social care practices and training within the campus. This translates into residents having a greater involvement in developing services around their own needs, circumstances and personal preferences.

“We remain absolutely resolute in our efforts to improve services for residents and to expedite the move to community living and will continue to work with HIQA in that regard,” stated Mr. Canavan.