Management and staff at a South Kerry nursing home have been found largely to "provide a restraint free environment for residents".
That was the finding of an unannounced HIQA thematic inspection, which was carried out on Kenmare Community Nursing Home in May.
The inspection is part of a Health Information and Quality Authority programme focusing on standards rather than legal regulations alone.
The aim of these so-called thematic inspections is to further improve the quality of residential care by concentrating attention on specific aspects of care.
Kenmare Community Nursing Home underwent a thematic inspection to determine if its use of restrictive practices could be improved.
HIQA wants people receiving care to live as independently as possible without unnecessary restrictions.
The inspector found no evidence of restrictive practices being used at the Kenmare home due to a lack of staffing resources.
The report stated staff in the nursing home were knowledgeable about restrictive practices and the management of restraint, having received appropriate training.
The inspector believes management and staff work together to provide a restraint free environment for residents, however she stated some improvements were needed to further enhance the residents' quality of life.
Residents were very complimentary of the kindness and care they received from staff, indicating that Kenmare Community Nursing Unit was a nice place to live.
A restrictive practice committee meet regularly to review practices and drive improvements at the nursing home .
Restrictive practices at Kenmare Community Nursing Home were limited to bedrails, and the inspector noted that a broader review of these was necessary.
The majority of restrictive practices were assessed, and safety checks were in place, but further reviews were needed, for example, one resident with a lap-belt did not have an appropriate risk assessment, and this was not reflected in the restraint register.
