HIQA inspections in October and November 2020 highlighted very serious concerns in Ability West Services. Ability West sincerely apologises for these. We have taken immediate action to protect the individuals in our care and to reassure them, their families and friends.
Teach Michel was re-inspected by HIQA in January 2021. HIQA found that Teach Michel is now compliant and also noted the significant improvement has been made since the inspection two months previously. We await a re-inspection in Sylvan Services and hope for an equally positive outcome.
Ability West welcomes HIQA inspections and feedback at all times. We currently have 29 designated centres registered with HIQA.
In 2020, Ability West had 25 HIQA inspections.
Ability West typically achieves HIQA compliance rates higher than the national average.
This has been consistent since the introduction of national standards in late 2013.
In 2019 Ability West achieved 92% compliance across all services (against a national average 92% compliance). This standard was maintained at 95% compliance in 2020 for Quarters 1, 2, and 3.
Unfortunately, 2 out of the 25 inspections at the end of last year revealed that standards in these services were not in keeping with regulations at that time. We deeply regret that this had been the case and we have responded swiftly and confidently to address all issues that were raised.
Ability West put in place comprehensive ‘Compliance’ Reports (action plans) for both Sylvan and Teach Michel Services which were implemented as a priority. All actions identified have been completed or are still in progress and as noted above the impact of these actions has already been verified in Teach Michel Services by HIQA.
Ability West supports people with intellectual disability, many of whom have additional complex support needs. This includes autism and mental health difficulties such as severe anxiety, compulsive behaviour patterns and communication disorders. COVID-19 has meant that the typical provision of services and supports in Ability West have been severely disrupted with the long-term closure of day services, abrupt changes to daily routines and structure, staff illnesses or absences long-term. Additionally, people we support in residential services have not been able to visit with family and loved ones. This has been particularly difficult for service users especially those with limited communication or do not understand ‘why’ this is happening.
The focus of Ability West is on people we support and one of our Core Values is Person-Centredness. We look forward to the roll-out of the vaccination programme for persons with intellectual disability, as well as staff and carers. This will mean services and supports can return to “normal” as soon as possible.
We also look forward to visits with families and friends returning, reconnecting with our fantastic communities and volunteers, and embracing all of the things we have missed since March 2020.
Audrey Pidgeon
Chief Executive