A CARE HOME for disabled children in Co Monaghan has been criticised in a Hiqa report after it was found that two residents were unable to come downstairs for over three weeks when the centre’s lift broke down.

The two residents, who are both wheelchair users, could not attend school and one resident missed an appointment as there was no way to get them down the stairs except in the case of an emergency.

They had been confined to the top floor of the house for a total of 25 days in January, and the inspection found that the lift had also been out of service from 27 July 2022 to 29 August 2022 (34 days).

This meant that in seven months two residents were confined to the first floor of their home for a total of 59 days.

The report from HIQA read: “The provider had not responded appropriately to either incident and had not put in place alternative arrangements. The provider had also failed to notify HIQA regarding the issues with the lift or the impact it had on residents on both occasions.”

Woodbrook Lodge provides long-term care for up to four residents under 18 years of age, although only three were living at the centre when the unannounced inspection took place on 25 January.

During the introductory meeting, the inspector was informed that, the lift had been out of order since 31 December 2022.

The third resident could be carried downstairs by staff.

The residents had been living in their bedrooms, engaging in limited activities on the landing area of the first floor and having their meals in the upstairs office area.

The review of residents’ records showed that, prior to the lift being out of service, residents were attending school and where possible, they were engaged in activities in and outside of their home. 

The report found that the residents’ needs were “negatively impacted” by the lift being out of order and the centre was deemed to be not compliant in eight regulation areas including fire precautions and resident’s rights.

Following the January inspection the centre outlined measures taken to address issues raised in the report including relocating two residents downstairs so that any potential issues with the lift wouldn’t impact them again.

The lift was fixed since the inspection and an agreement is in place with a company to service it twice a year.

An electric evacuation chair was also purchased by the centre for moving residents up and down stairs in emergencies.