A recent inspection of the Midlands Accommodation Centre in Athlone has raised concerns about some of the residential facilities on site. Athlone Accommodation Centre provides accommodation for families seeking international protection, with 156 people living in the facility on the day of inspection.
The facility is run by Aramark on behalf of the Department of Integration. A team of HIQA inspectors attended the site at Lisseywollen which is adjacent but separate to the tented accommodation site that is currently the subject of a High Court Case.
The facility contains a reception area, offices, a shop, laundry facilities, playgrounds and recreational rooms, while a medical centre was located on site for visiting practitioners. Residents are accommodated in 100 mobile homes onsite, with each unit having a small living and kitchen area, a bathroom, and either two or three small
bedrooms.
According to accounts from service users and observations from the inspectors, the centre was found to be providing a person-centred service that supported residents. Staff members were observed working hard to ensure that families had a good a quality of life as possible while living in the centre, with the centre itself found to be clean and well maintained.
Residents paid tribute to the supportive nature and kindness of staff who they said welcomed them warmly. However, during the course of the inspection, HIQA officials were informed of a number of issues with the cramped nature of the accommodation.
The mobile homes were found to impact on the wellbeing and quality of life of a number of residents, due to lack of space and storage. The centre was found to be compliant in 12 out of 29 areas, with 10 substantial compliances, 5 partial compliances and 2 non compliance.
Issues were identified around accommodation, governance, emergency preparedness and safeguarding. Aramark has provided a response plan to HIQA to list the procedures and plans for addressing the issues raised on site.
