Waterford's Dreamwood facility receives positive HIQA report
The report highlighted a need for anti-ligature door handles.
Dreamwood received a positive report from the Health Information Quality Authority (HIQA). The facility was subject to an unannounced inspection in May 2025 and was deemed to be fully compliant in most categories. The facility is purpose-built to support people with additional needs.
The facility, located in rural Waterford, is operated by Nua Healthcare Services Limited. The staff is made up of the person in charge, social care workers and assistant support workers.
On the day of the unannounced inspection, there were five adult residents living on the premises. The inspector spoke to all five residents through various means, including "vocalisations, facial expressions, behaviours and gestures to communicate their needs".
According to the report: "Two of the residents did not attend a day service and were supported with activation from their home. While three of the residents accessed day services for parts of the week and were supported with activation from their home on the other days."
The residents appeared content and comfortable in their experiences at Dreamwood and were able to communicate their needs with staff. Staff also displayed a familiarity and closeness with the residents.
However, the report showed some concern over the handling of resident's personal finances. The centre was deemed 'Substantially Compliant' for protection measures, stating: "One resident in the centre was supported in the management of their finances by others.
"The provider had limited oversight of regular savings made to a separate account for one resident required improvement as incomplete information was on file which did not demonstrate the resident's money was fully accounted for."
HIQA did note that the service providers had taken steps to resolve the issue.
Dreamwood was also marked 'Substantially Compliant' in the premises category. The report identified several areas that could be improved upon. The report stated: "The previous inspection identified that some fixtures in place were clinical in nature such as anti-ligature door handles, enclosed showers and enclosed taps required review.
"In addition, one of the enclosed gardens contained furniture including outdoor seating and a swing. However, it did not present in a homely manner and further work was required to enhance the area."
Besides the issue with ambiance and financial protection, the report re-iterated the kindness shared by residents and staff: "All interactions observed between staff and residents were kind, respectful and in line with resident needs."
