Significant risks to the health, safety and wellbeing of residents at disability centres have been found by the Health watchdog following inspections earlier this year.
In one centre in Donegal, Hiqa found that allegations of abuse were not being reported or investigated, meaning vulnerable adults were not protected.
Inclusion Ireland says the Government has not invested appropriately in moving people out of institutional settings.
The Health Information and Quality Authority has this morning published inspection reports on 20 centres around the country which provide residential services for people with disabilities.
While almost half, nine, were found to have good levels of compliance, nine other centres were found to pose significant risks to the health, safety and wellbeing of residents.
Hiqa inspectors found that a respite centre in Cork, which had previously been taken to court, had made significant progress, but there were still failings relating to fire safety and personal care.
CEO of Inclusion Ireland, Paddy Connolly, said: “Many, many of these centres are not appropriate places for people to live.
“I don’t understand why it is okay for a person with a disability to experience assault, often on a daily basis, according to some of the Hiqa reports.
“It is a major issue that the Government have not invested appropriately in moving people out of these centres and in changing the way that we are dependent on an insitutionalised model of support for persons with a disability.”
He said it is particularly disappointing considering centres have had five years to reach the required level of compliance.
He also said, even though centres may be compliant, it does not mean they are good places to live.
Mr Connolly said: “Some of these models, while they are passing Hiqa inspections, are still quite segregated from the community, they are still quite institutionalised in some of their approaches.
“Yes they are moving more towards a person-centred approach, but it’s certainly not safe to say that people have the life that you and I take for granted in these centres, even when they are compliant with Hiqa.”
