Residents of an International Protection Accommodation Services (Ipas) centre in Co Westmeath have reported difficulties accessing medical appointments due to limited transport with some calling emergency services on “occasions when out-of-hours services may have been more appropriate”, said the State’s health watchdog.
Inspection reports from the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) into seven permanent Ipas centres also describe cramped and damp conditions in some with nappies and toiletries not provided for.
An unannounced inspection of the Temple Accommodation Centre in Co Westmeath last February found that single people applying for international protection shared their bedrooms with up to three unrelated residents and “in one case, four unrelated residents”.
The allocation of accommodation did not always promote the “privacy and dignity of residents” due to the configuration of the accommodation provided, the inspection report said.
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It noted the centre was in a rural location and residents who did not have their own transport were dependent on the service providers to leave the centre. A bus service to a small town nearby was available twice daily from Monday to Thursday and once each Friday, it said.
As the centre was nine kilometres from the nearest town, bicycles and scooters were not always suitable.
“Some residents reported difficulties accessing medical appointments due to limited transport and the inspectors noted that residents called emergency services on occasions when out-of-hours services may have been more appropriate,” it said.
“The service provider had not assessed these challenges or the associated risks.”
Overall, Temple Accommodation Centre along with Dominick Street Complex in Co Galway, Athlone Accommodation Centre in Co Westmeath, Dublin Central Inn in Co Dublin and St Patrick’s Accommodation Centre Co Monaghan had “varying” levels of compliance with Hiqa’s standards.
Eglinton Centre in Co Galway and Slaney Court Apartments in Co Wicklow were found to have no non-compliances identified against the national standards.
Where noncompliance with the standards was identified, providers were required to submit plans to demonstrate how they will make improvements and come into compliance with them.
An unannounced inspection of Athlone Accommodation Centre in March found while it was evident upgrade works were ongoing to mobile homes, “living arrangements were not adequate to meet the needs of some residents”.
“Mobile homes were often cramped due to their size and residents did not have suitable space in many instances to store their belongings,” the inspection report said.
“While staff did their best to improve living conditions for residents, the type of accommodation provided in this centre did not fully support some residents’ rights and impacted on the wellbeing and overall quality of life for families.”
Some residents said ‘children can’t even move in their beds they are so small’, ‘conditions are cramped and I’ve nowhere to study or complete college work’.
Other residents there spoke of “their deep concern about the damp conditions and poor ventilation” in the mobile homes, which they felt had caused “their families to become ill”.
Inspectors were told by residents that staff were doing their best to support them in this situation and that the maintenance staff team had gone to “great efforts to remove mould from mobile homes and improve living conditions for them”.
Inspectors were also informed by management and some families that, particularly in the case of secondary school places, some children had to travel “considerable distances” to their school, due to a shortage of spaces locally.
At the Dublin Central Inn, inspectors observed “overcrowding” in some of the family units with parents and children sharing a room and “compromising their dignity and privacy”.
Two residents also noted they did not feel “adequately supported to live a meaningful life in the centre” and some indicated a limited awareness of centre policies and procedures, the inspection report said.
