Two-year wait for OT assessment at Finn Valley residential care centre

The Heath Service Executive (HSE) says it is trying to recruit an occupational therapist for disability services after the inspection of a Finn Valley residential centre found one resident was waiting for occupational therapy assessment for more than two years. 

The inspection of Edencrest and Cloghan Flat by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) found the facility to be fully compliant with fifteen of 18 regulations and substantially compliant with three.

The HSE said it has taken steps to address the areas that were found not to be fully-compliant.

The inspection of the centre, which provides full-time residential care and support to adults with a disability, was carried out in July of this year. There were six residents living in the centre at the time of inspection, five in the main house and one resident living alone in a flat attached to another designated centre on the campus.

The inspection found that overall the  Edencrest and Cloghan service provided high-quality, person-centred and individualised care and support to residents. Observations throughout the inspection were that residents were treated in a caring and respectful manner by staff, Hiqa found.

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There had been improvements in the overall governance and management of the centre since the last inspection, the report said.

The health watchdog did find that some residents were awaiting occupational therapy (OT) assessment that had been identified through assessment of their needs. One resident was noted to require a sensory OT assessment following a review in June 2022. 

“Referrals had been made on residents' behalf to community OT services, however this need remained unmet,” the report stated.

Hiqa said local management was trying to address the gap in OT services in the region.

The inspection did find there were some outstanding training requirements but the management team were aware of the gaps and dates were set for most of the training needs. Staff said that they felt well supported in their role.

A regulation over risk management was also not fully-compliant, with the inspection finding that one safety concern that staff members flagged to the management about the capacity to respond during night time had not been assessed in line with the procedures for risk management. 

The HSE said a risk assessment was completed in August and escalated in relation to the deficit of an occupational therapist within disability services in the area. It said its human resources department has completed a recruitment campaign to try to fill the occupational therapist position but to date has been unsuccessful and an agency occupational therapist has been sourced in the interim. 

Training needs for the centre have been reviewed and all staff have been provided with updated individual training needs analysis, the HSE said.

Risk assessments within the centre have been reviewed and a risk assessment in relation to staff’s capacity to respond to all residents’ needs during night time across Edencrest and Cloghan Flat has been completed.

The HSE said it will continue to work to ensure that a high quality service is maintained for the residents of the centre.