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Services for People with Disabilities

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 October 2012

Tuesday, 16 October 2012

Questions (690, 691)

Finian McGrath

Question:

690. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health when the Health Information and Quality Authority standards for residential services for persons with disabilities, which were introduced in 2009, will be implemented. [44764/12]

View answer

Finian McGrath

Question:

691. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health the time frame for the implementations of Health Information and Quality Authority inspections in publically funded residential facilities which cater for the more than 10,000 adults and children with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44765/12]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 690 and 691 together.

The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has prepared and published standards for this sector, which outline what is expected of a provider of services and what a person with a disability, his or her family, and the public can expect to receive from residential care services.

The current Programme for Government includes a specific commitment to put these standards on a statutory footing and ensure that the services are inspected by HIQA. While separate National Quality Standards for both adults and children with disabilities have already been developed by HIQA, they have now brought the draft standards together in one document albeit, with the standards for adults and children being listed separately. This draft document is now the subject of a 5 week consultation process before it can be finalised and brought before the board of HIQA. The final agreed standards document will then be forwarded to the Department for approval with a likely publication date in early January.

Work is also underway in the Department on both the ‘Registration and Inspection’ regulations and the ‘Care and Welfare’ regulations required to bring the standards into law. These are being developed taking into account the lessons learned with the introduction three years ago of similar regulations for nursing homes. It is expected that the new regulatory system should be up and running by mid 2013.

While the HIQA standards have yet to be put on a statutory footing, it is worth noting that compliance with the HIQA standards is already included in the Service Level Arrangements between the HSE and service providers in the disability sector.

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