Health Minister Robin Swann has described a watchdog report that found children with mental health problems were at “serious risk” in a care home as “very disturbing”.
The Minister was responding to an urgent question in the Assembly that was posed in the wake of an RQIA report on the Praxis Care run facility.
RQIA inspectors found “significant shortcomings” in staff training and in record keeping, which placed “both children and staff at risk”.
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In a statement, the inspection organisation said that “during an inspection of a children’s service operated by Praxis Care in the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust area in February 2022, RQIA identified that insufficient skilled and competent staff were in place to meet the complex needs of the children in their care, to promote their rights, and safely respond to their needs”.
In the Assembly on Tuesday, Mr Swann said the South Eastern Trust initiated an “immediate and decisive response” with Trust staff redeployed to “address critical vacancies” at the facility. He added that RQIA inspectors “engaged” with parents and the children themselves throughout the process.
SDLP Health Spokesman Colin McGrath, who raised the question in the Assembly, said the staffing issues could not have occurred “overnight”, but was assured the Trust engaged a “proactive response” when they were informed in February of the inspection findings.
The minister added that as well as issues surrounding staff vacancies, inspectors also found issues with regard to “competency” as well as governance and leadership structures.
In a statement, Praxis Care said they were “saddened to confirm that following extensive engagement with both the South Eastern Trust and RQIA, regarding the difficulties in recruitment and retention of staff in one of our children’s services, we very reluctantly concluded that we could no longer maintain the service and notified the Trust to that effect”.
The name or location of the facility has not been made public to protect the young people who are resident there.
The charity added: “The following day RQIA indicated their intention to formally cancel the registration. We are now working in partnership with the South Eastern Trust to ensure there is an appropriate and well-managed transition for the children and our staff who have worked tirelessly in very difficult circumstances.
“Recruitment into social care has been very challenging despite Praxis Care’s exemplary employee benefits package, recently welcomed by the GMB. Unfortunately, it has been so challenging as to require this facility to be closed after many years of providing vital support for children and their families.”
It is understood this is the first children’s service to have registration cancelled through enforcement action.
Praxis Care is one of Northern Ireland’s leading mental health charities and operates a number of services including several residential homes for children with mental health problems under the age of 16.
In their statement, the RQIA added that their inspectors “considered that inadequate record keeping and significant shortcoming in staff induction at this service were placing both the children and staff at risk”.
They added: “As a result of the serious risk identified by the Inspection to the health and wellbeing of a number of children living at this service, RQIA made a successful application on 3 March 2022 to a Justice of the Peace for an order to cancel its registration.
“Working with RQIA, following this action the South Eastern Health and Social Trust took over responsibility for the staffing and management of this home, and children and young people continue to live in this home.”
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