HSE disability centre in Louth told improvements needed after inspection

An unannounced inspection of an HSE-run residential centre for adults with intellectual disabilities in Louth has identified a number of areas requiring improvement, including staff training, residents’ activities, food safety and care planning.

Lios na Greine, which provides 24-hour nurse-led residential care for five adults, was inspected on June 4, 2026, following the receipt of “unsolicited information” by the Chief Inspector of Social Services.

The inspection report found that “in the main, residents are happy in their home and supported by a consistent staff team.”

The centre was described by the inspector as “homely, well maintained and laid out to suit the assessed needs of the residents”.

All five residents were spoken to during the inspection. The inspector observed that residents “appeared happy and comfortable in the presence of the staff team”, while staff were described as “responsive to the needs of the residents” and as engaging with them “in a positive manner”.

However, the report identified improvements required in “training and staff development, general welfare and development, individualised assessment and personal plans, risk assessments, and food and nutrition.”

The centre was found not compliant with Regulation 16 on training and staff development.

The inspector found that “not all of the staff team had completed the required training for the centre” and identified gaps in medication management, food hygiene, Lámh communication and autism awareness.

The report noted that Lámh training was particularly important as residents’ communication care plans outlined “the importance of Lamh training and use of its symbols”.

The inspector concluded that the provider’s training needs analysis and planning were “not deemed as effective in ensuring staff were given the appropriate training specific to the needs of the residents.”

General welfare and development was also judged not compliant.

The report found that “not all residents living in the centre were being supported to have a meaningful day with activities of their choosing being provided to them.”

Activities listed in monthly planners “were not always taking place” and “were not always meaningful”.

In one example, a resident was due to go shopping but “did not leave the centre until later in the afternoon and did not go shopping”, despite the centre being fully staffed.

The inspector concluded: “Overall, resident activities were of limited quality and of a repetitive nature with no evidence observed by the inspector of the planning and development of meaningful person centred-goals.”

Inspectors found an adequate supply of food, but also identified several food safety concerns.

The report states that “multiple items stored both in the fridge, cupboards and fruit bowls” were “either out of date or had visible mould”.

Multiple opened items in the fridge also had no labels showing when they had been opened or when they needed to be disposed of.

The report further noted that 13 staff had not completed food safety training, with “no plan in place for staff to attend” at the time of inspection.

Inspectors also found that some care plans and risk assessments were not being reviewed regularly enough.

The report said that while care plans were in place, they were “not subject to regular review to ensure they were effectively meeting the needs of the residents and continually guiding staff practice.”

One behaviour support plan had last been reviewed in February 2025, despite a recommendation for a six-month review.

The inspector said this meant the provider “could not assure themselves that the approaches taken by staff were still in line with the assessed needs of the resident.”

The provider has since outlined a series of measures to address the findings, including additional staff training, new weekly activity planners and improved monitoring of care plans and risk assessments.

It reported that residents are now taking part in activities including work experience at a local coffee shop, chair aerobics, allotment gardening and a local cycling group.

The provider stated that “all residents living in the centre have been supported to identify activities of choice to ensure they were experiencing a meaningful day of their choosing.”

The inspection found the centre compliant in relation to staffing, notification of incidents and protection of residents, while governance and management, food and nutrition, risk management, and individual assessment and personal plans were judged substantially compliant.