A Castleisland care centre has been charging residents extra for services.
A report by the Health Information and Quality Authority, following an unannounced inspection at the Willow Brook Care Centre on College Road, found the centre non-compliant in several areas.
Despite these findings, inspectors noted how residents felt safe and were happy at the centre, and noted the friendliness and kindness of staff.
Inspections took place on one evening and one day, on March 14th and 15th this year, with 59 residents present during this time.
The inspectors’ report said the provider of the centre, Thistlemill Limited, did not take all reasonable measures to protect residents.
They noted that the provider added an extra cost for residents for services from hairdressers and chiropodists, despite the services being provided in the residents’ own home and at no extra cost to the provider.
The inspectors said this additional cost was not made clear to the resident or family who paid the bill, while individual receipts for these services were not kept on file.
The report also states the care provider was acting as a pension agent for some residents, but the pension was paid in to the centre’s account and not the residents’ client accounts.
The charges for this were deducted from the pension before the balance was paid into the clients’ accounts, which is not in compliance with the Department of Social Protection’s regulations.
The inspectors found that the management of residents’ personal finances was not sufficiently robust, after they checked the balance of four accounts and found two to be incorrect.
The centre was also not compliant with regulations surrounding the residents’ rights.
Inspectors wrote that an increased weekly fee, included in a new contract of care, was charged to residents even if they hadn’t signed and returned the new contract.
The report said some residents could not exercise their rights in relation to finances and were unable to voice their concerns at this increase, due to issues such as cognitive impairment.
The centre was also not compliant in governance and management.
However, overall feedback from residents was that they were happy at the centre, staff were exceptionally kind and caring, and they felt they were committed to their care.
The premises was bright, clean and well maintained, although some issues were found with the residents’ dining experience.
