MHC finds one critical and five high-risk ratings in two of the country's in-patient mental health units
On February 13 2020, we published two inspection reports which identified one critical and five high-risk non-compliance ratings at two of the country’s in-patient mental health units.
The two centres involved were St Stephen’s Hospital in Glanmire, County Cork and Selskar House in Wexford town. While the centres improved their overall compliance by 11% and 9% from the previous year, both reports identified risks in the areas of premises and privacy, with general disrepair and an inadequate maintenance system of particular concern. Many of the reported maintenance faults in one centre were awaiting repair for over three months at the time of the inspection.
A number of quality initiatives were identified on the inspection. St Stephen’s Hospital have introduced and implemented a six- monthly physical examination pro-forma across the service, and the implementation of an electronic ordering system and the procurement of scanning equipment that has improved the efficiency of dispensing and ordering medications in the pharmacy department. Selskar House have introduced a new physical restraint checklist to help ensure all necessary processes are adhered to; the installation of Wi-Fi within the approved centre; and the acquisition of an electronic tablet for the purposes of enhancing resident communication.
Commenting on the reports, Inspector of Mental Health Services, Dr. Susan Finnerty said “When basic faults such as broken windows and doors are reported, there must be an efficient maintenance system in place to repair these issues as soon as possible. This is to ensure that the comfort of residents is maintained, and due regard is given to the specific needs of residents, and the safety and wellbeing of residents, staff and visitors. When there is evidence of an unacceptable delay in this regard, this concern will be duly called out in relevant inspection reports.”
The Chief Executive of the Mental Health Commission, John Farrelly, added that the regulation around privacy is there to ensure that the dignity of residents is respected at all times. “When people are residing in our mental health centres, it is important that they are treated in a manner that is consistent to how they would be cared for by loved ones at home,” he said. “It is not acceptable that residents are not afforded the appropriate levels of privacy in their bedrooms, or that residents had to eat their meals at a table in a corridor. These are matters that are simply not satisfactory in a modern-day mental health service.”
You can read our full statement here.
