Dundalk disability centre praised for ‘good quality care’ but governance concerns raised

A Dundalk supported accommodation centre has been praised for providing good quality, person-centred care to residents, although inspectors identified a number of shortcomings in governance and management.

An inspection of Dundalk Supported Accommodation, operated by The Rehab Group, found that residents were receiving good care and felt safe and comfortable in their home.

The announced inspection was carried out on May 13, 2026, as part of an application to renew the centre’s registration. The centre can accommodate up to five adults with disabilities and had four residents living there at the time of the inspection.

The inspector reported that, overall, “a caring staff team was delivering good quality care to the residents”.

However, the report also identified gaps in the oversight of staff training, cleaning practices, Garda vetting and the notification of incidents.

The four residents spoken to by the inspector all said they felt safe living in the centre and would tell a member of staff if they had a concern.

They were also positive about the staff supporting them, with one resident telling the inspector: “you can't get people like them, they are amazing”.

Residents said they got on well with their housemates and felt they had choices around their meals and daily activities.

The report states that residents “appeared content and comfortable in the centre” and that interactions between staff and residents were “respectful and engaging”.

One resident had recently had their en-suite bathroom renovated and told the inspector they loved it, while another was choosing paint colours for their bedroom.

Feedback from family representatives was also positive, with both relatives spoken to saying they felt their family members were safe and that they would feel comfortable raising any concerns with staff or management.

Written questionnaires completed by residents were similarly positive. One resident said that “the house was very safe and the staff were kind” and that they had “lots of privacy”.

Another said they “loved living in this house and loved living with their friends”, adding that “the staff were so wonderful and supportive to them”.

A further resident described themselves as “happy out” and said “everything was good”.

The inspector found the premises to be clean and tidy overall and described the centre as a comfortable and homely environment.

Residents had their own bedrooms, access to cooking and laundry facilities and were supported to buy their own food and cook their meals.

Fire safety arrangements were also found to be effective, with firefighting equipment, detection systems and emergency lighting all in working order. Seven practice evacuation drills were reviewed, including drills carried out at night and with minimum staffing levels.

The centre was also found to be compliant in a number of areas including staffing, training and staff development, insurance, visits, personal possessions, premises, information for residents, fire precautions, individual assessment and personal plans, and protection.

Despite the positive findings around the quality and safety of care, the inspector found that governance and management required improvement and recorded Regulation 23 as “Not compliant”.

Issues included staff vetting, training, cleaning and the submission of regulatory notifications.

The inspector found that one staff member who began employment in September 2025 had completed an online fire safety course but had not completed the required in-person training. The issue was addressed after it was raised during the inspection.

Concerns were also raised about Garda vetting. One staff member had not completed Garda vetting since 2005, which the inspector said was not in line with best practice.

The report stated that this had the potential for relevant information “not to be known to the provider”.

There were also shortcomings around the submission of notifications. One three-day notification had not been submitted and was only completed on the day of the inspection after management's attention was drawn to it.

The provider also failed to notify the Chief Inspector within the required 28-day period that a person participating in management had ended their employment. That individual had ceased their role in January 2025, but notification was not made until September 2025.

Cleaning and infection prevention and control were another area highlighted.

The inspector observed dirty washing machine seals, cleaning equipment being used contrary to the provider’s colour-coded guidance and gaps in periodic cleaning schedules.

The washing machine seals were noted to be a repeat finding from the previous inspection.

The report said that while the identified issues were not causing a negative impact to residents at the time of the inspection, there was “a potential for risk if improvements were not implemented”.

The Rehab Group subsequently set out a compliance plan outlining actions to address the findings.