Inspection reports

Mental Health Commission publishes six inspection reports

Reports show high levels of compliance with rules, regs and codes.

The Mental Health Commission (MHC) has this morning published five inspection reports on approved inpatient mental health centres that show high levels of compliance with rules, regulations and codes of practice across all centres. The MHC has also published a sixth report on a 24-hour community residence where inspectors also found evidence of good practices.

The reports released today for approved inpatient mental health centres focus on Grangemore Ward in St Otteran's Hospital in Waterford City (100% overall compliance); the Adult Mental Health Unit at Sligo University Hospital (97%); Woodview at Merlin Park University Hospital, Galway (97%); St Ita’s Ward at St Brigid’s Hospital in Ardee, Co. Louth (93%); and Tearmann Ward at St Camillus' Hospital, Limerick City (93%).

The Chief Executive of the MHC, John Farrelly in welcoming the improvements and quality initiatives in the approved centres said, “It is particularly noticeable that high-quality purpose-built facilities create an environment where staff and patients can work together to enhance recovery.” 

Quality initiatives observed during the inspections included the introduction of a programme to improve the management of physical health and promote and encourage healthy lifestyle skills and routines for residents; the introduction of a ‘regulations at a glance board’ to enhance communication among staff on regulatory compliance; the co-designing (by service users and staff) of individual care plans; and the commencement of a schedule of education sessions for staff with varying topics such as staff welfare, and restrictive practice reduction.

Non-compliances observed during inspections included a high-risk non-compliance for the regulation on premises for Tearmann Ward, and also for Woodview - the fourth year in succession that the Galway centre has received this rating for the regulation on premises.

The MHC requires corrective and preventive action plans (CAPAs) from all services where non-compliances are identified, each of which must address each non-compliance specifically. The MHC monitors the implementation of these CAPAs on an ongoing basis and requests further information and action as necessary. Enforcement action is taken when the MHC is concerned that the care and treatment provided in an approved centre may be a risk to the safety, health, and wellbeing of residents, or where there has been a failure by the provider to address an ongoing area of non-compliance. All critical risk issues are considered by the MHC’s Regulatory Management Team (RMT) as a matter of course.

Enforcement actions commonly arise from inspection findings, quality and safety notifications, and compliance monitoring. Enforcement actions available to the MHC range from the aforementioned CAPAs (at the lower end of enforcement) to removing an approved centre from the register and/or pursuing prosecution (at the higher end).

Also included in the reports released today was an unannounced inspection of Mountain View, a 24-hour, 17-bed community mental health residence in Dublin 10. Community Residences are mental services where people can live if they are unable to live independently. While they are residences where care staff are on site 24 hours of the day, every day of the week, they are not required to be registered as an approved centre, in accordance with the criteria set out in the Mental Health Act 2001.

Areas of good practice at Mountain View included the completion of a series of audits to identify areas for improvement; and the carrying out of comprehensive assessments before individual care planning to ensure that goals for residents were discussed and agreed with the resident at the care planning meeting.

Links to the individual reports

Link to the full statement Mental Health Commission publishes six inspection reports

 

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