Residents of disability centres have highlighted the need for HIQA inspection reports to be made more accessible.
At a forum held by the Health Information and Quality Authority, many said that they did not readily have access to the reports and requested that they be shared with them.
HIQA met with over 100 residents last year, who live in designated centres for people with disabilities to get their feedback on their lives, experiences and the inspection process.
Residents welcomed the publication of inspection reports on HIQA's website, however, they noted the need for easy-to-read or alternative formats, especially for residents who have sight or hearing impairments.
They told HIQA that they did not know what happened after an inspection and said they wanted to be more involved in discussions about the inspection results.
Some residents expressed an interest in learning the outcome of the feedback meetings between inspectors and providers following inspections.
The feedback also revealed that residents availing of respite services felt less familiar with HIQA and the inspection process.
The regulator has said it will spend more time with residents during inspections and will look for more opportunities to engage with them, outside of the inspection process.
It has also committed to creating easy-to-understand tools, using simple language and different formats to ensure residents have access to more information about HIQA's work.
