St Carthage's House in west Waterford gets positive review from HIQA  

St Carthage's House in Lismore has been subject to an unannounced inspection from the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA).

St Carthage's is a purpose-built rest home in the west of County Waterford, which caters for elderly people with low to moderate dependencies.

The centre is registered to offer long-term residential care to 42 residents with low-to-medium dependency care needs who do not require 24-hour nursing care.

The recent inspection was carried out to monitor restrictive practices in the designated centre.

From the inspector's observations and what residents told the inspector, it was evident that residents were supported to have a good quality of life in St Carthage's House. 

The inspector observed warm, kind, dignified and respectful interactions with residents throughout the day by all staff and management. 

Staff were knowledgeable about the residents' needs, and it was clear that staff and management promoted a person-centred approach to care and attention, where the rights and diversity of each resident were respected. 

The inspector spoke with 12 residents and two visitors to gain an insight into the residents' lived experience in the centre. 

The overall feedback from residents was that they were happy living in the centre.

The residents spoken with were highly complimentary, with one resident describing it as "a home from home", while another informed the inspector, "it couldn't be nicer". 

When it came to the staff that cared for them, there was high praise, with the staff being described as "marvellous" and "very nice".

A small number of residents were unhappy with the early time of breakfast. 

The centre was deemed to be 'substantially compliant' in the areas of inspection, with the report outlining that residents received a good, safe service but their quality of life would be enhanced by improvements in the management and reduction of restrictive practices.