Residents in Waterford Cheshire struggling with 'poor staff levels', says HIQA report
Cheshire was inspected by HIQA.
Residents living in Cheshire Residential Centre & Respite Facility have reported feeling distressed over the staff turnover in the facility.
Health Information & Quality Authority (HIQA) published a post-inspection report on the premises which revealed a concerning level of dissatisfaction by some residents.
The report read: "In general, inspection findings indicated that while some residents were happy living in the centre, others were not satisfied with the service."
HIQA also reported a 'significant' level of risk in terms of fire safety issues and faulty call bell system.
The centre was inspected over two days in April this year. There were 14 residents living in the facility at the time of the announced inspection.
The inspection was to inform a registration renewal decision for the facility.
Inspector Sinead Whitely spoke to residents about their experiences living in Waterford Cheshire. Eleven residents completed satisfaction surveys, a number of them revealing issues with staffing levels, building maintenance and comfortability.
One resident said that staff did not always come to their aid when they used the bell system in their room. The call bell system was deemed as 'not working consistently', posing a 'significant' risk to resident's safety.
Another resident spoke about their 'upset' with the changing staff: "I feel negatively affected when there is lots of staff and new staff. This impacts my dignity."
The report referenced a 'heavy reliance' on outsourcing agencies to make up staff numbers : "The centre had two staffing vacancies and a number of staff were on long term sick leave. While management in the centre endeavoured to ensure that these shifts were filled by regular agency staff, this was not always possible."
"A review of the staff rota found that 34 shifts had been filled by agency staff in the month of March 2026."
A number of residents confirmed that their own specialised needs were not always catered to due to changing staff. One person said: ''Not all staff know what I dislike. Some do. The newer staff have to get to know me better'."
The staffing issues prevented one resident from seeing their family for several months, which has prompted a follow-up review:"The inspector requested a review of incidents in a three month period where the resident could not visit their home due to staffing arrangements.
"This review found that there were nine days between January and March 2026 where the resident could not be supported in line with their needs and preferences and their visit home had to be cancelled."
The centre was deemed 'non-compliant' across multiple criteria, including fire precautions, staffing, governance and management and risk management procedures.
Fire safety issues had been flagged by HIQA since 2023 but the provider has, to date, achieve compliance with up-to-date fire safety and regulations. HIQA stated that there the risks posed a significant level of risk' to the residents.
The report also stated that a number of gaps in windows and doorframes which let in a draft in one resident's room. Residents commented: "
''The outside grounds and windows need to be maintained a lot better'' and ''The windows are not sealed properly in my room and its cold''.
