Portlaoise IPAS centre gets healthy report from Health Information and Quality Authority 

THE Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), an independent body established to ensure standards in care for people using health and social services in Ireland, has this month published three inspection reports on International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centres around the country.

Among the three centres it has recently inspected is Dídean Portlaoise, Co. Laois, an accommodation centre comprising nine own-door apartments and houses located in Portlaoise, Co Laois.

At the time of the inspection 34 residents lived in the centre, which included 16 adults and 18 children. All residents lived with family members and of the nine family units, three units were shared between families.

According to the report, the accommodation provided allowed “residents to live independently”. Each unit has its own kitchen and dining room, a living area, bathrooms, and space for storage.

It was found that families who share accommodation with other families had their own bedrooms and bathrooms and shared a kitchen and living space.

The investigation found residents were overall treated with kindness, care and respect and “experienced a good quality of life in line with their needs”. Their rights were mostly protected but “further consideration was required in relation to specific practices which impacted on some of those rights”.

Although most residents said maintenance issues were resolved quickly, a small number reported that they were not happy with the standard of paint work within their accommodation, as only patches of the walls had been painted. Some residents also said storage was limited, and that they were not permitted to personalise their accommodation.

Inspectors observed children’s school photographs placed on the floor of a family unit as there were no shelves or display units available.

Despite these concerns, HIQA graded Dídean Portlaoise compliant-to-substantially compliant under all categories, noting it had a management team with a good understanding of national policy, a staff team appropriately qualified and adequately vetted, and residents who felt safe living in their accommodation.

It was also found that the service provider had continued to implement quality improvement initiatives arising from the findings of the previous inspection.

The other two reports released by HIQA relate to centres in Mosney Village, Co. Meath, and Bridgewater House, Co. Tipperary.

Overall, across all centres, inspectors found examples of good practice, including access to health and social services, well-equipped cooking facilities, and supportive staff members.

Improvements required include access to facilities for children to complete homework and study, sufficient fire drills, and staff members being permitted to enter residents’ homes when residents were not present.

Where non-compliance with the national standards was identified, providers are required to submit plans to demonstrate how improvements will be made.

Formerly known as direct provision centres, IPAS centres provide accommodation for people seeking international protection in Ireland.

Direct provision was established in 2000 in response to people seeking asylum. It is a system routinely criticised on national and international levels since its foundation, due to substandard care provided to those it has accommodated.

The Irish Government has taken measures in recent years to attempt to remedy this situation. In January 2024, HIQA assumed the responsibility of monitoring and inspecting permanent IPAS centres against national standards in accommodation offered to people in the protection process (2019).

All three reports are available to read on the HIQA website.