A HIQA inspection at Comeragh High Residential Support Services, operated by the Brothers of Charity Services Ireland – South East Region, has found the centre non-compliant in four key regulatory areas, citing continuing risks to residents’ safety and quality of care.
The unannounced, risk-based inspection took place on June 12th, 2025, following a previous renewal of registration in December 2024, when HIQA imposed an additional condition requiring the provider to reach compliance by May 2025.
While inspectors noted that some improvements had been implemented, they found that the actions taken had not resolved ongoing issues. Continued deficits were identified in governance and management, safeguarding and protection, risk management, and individualised assessment and personal planning.
The designated centre provides residential care for up to five adults with intellectual disabilities across two premises in Waterford City. Inspectors met four of the five residents and described warm interactions and comfortable, homely environments.
However, serious safety concerns persisted, including multiple unwitnessed falls, one of which resulted in a resident sustaining significant injuries and remaining in hospital since April.
Residents and staff told inspectors about challenges linked to low staffing levels, inconsistent support, and difficulties with resident compatibility. The inspection found that staffing levels were not adequately assessed to meet residents’ needs and that the provider had failed to ensure appropriate supervision at all times.
Between January 2024 and March 2025, one resident experienced 41 falls, around half of which were unwitnessed.
Inspectors also found that governance systems were ineffective. Required audits and reviews were either missing or incomplete, and actions arising from previous inspections had not resulted in meaningful improvements.
HIQA noted that serious incident reviews had not been carried out following significant falls, despite the provider’s assurances that stronger oversight was in place.
Concerns were also raised about the assessment and review of residents’ needs. Inspectors found that assessments were outdated and failed to reflect changes in residents’ conditions, including missed medical reviews and incomplete follow-up on specialist recommendations.
In one instance, a dementia diagnosis had not been properly accounted for in a resident’s care plan.
Safeguarding arrangements were also found to be inadequate. The inspection identified ongoing compatibility issues among residents and a number of incidents that had not been appropriately recognised or reported as potential safeguarding concerns.
Staff had raised difficulties in implementing safeguarding plans, and inspectors concluded that the overall culture and approach to safeguarding were not in line with national policy or regulatory requirements.
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