MHC statement on publication of inspection reports for four approved mental health centres
The Mental Health Commission (MHC) has published four inspection reports for approved inpatient mental health centres across Meath, Dublin, Cork and Waterford.
The centres inspected were:
- Nua Healthcare Services, Gormanston, Co Meath which received 88% compliance with the Rules, Regulations, and Codes of Practice.
- St. Patrick’s University Hospital, Dublin 8 which received 100% compliance with the Rules, Regulations, and Codes of Practice.
- St. Catherine’s Ward, St. Finbarr’s Hospital, Cork which received 80% compliance with the Rules, Regulations, and Codes of Practice.
- Aidan’s Residential Healthcare Unit, St Patrick’s Hospital, Waterford which received 97% compliance the Rules, Regulations, and Codes of Practice.
The inspector found varying levels of compliance with the Rules, Regulations and Codes of Practice. Two centres were found to be between 80% and 90% compliant, with one centre receiving 97% overall compliance, and another found to be fully compliant (100%).
Some areas of good practices observed over the course of the inspections included:
- A patient information leaflet was developed at St Patrick’s University Hospital with input from the dietetics and pharmacy departments as part of a risk management and service development project to improve the knowledge and, ultimately, the physical health of patients prescribed regular anti-psychotic medication.
- The occupational therapist at Aidan’s Residential Healthcare Unit - with support from the nursing team and guidance from the palliative care team - created a hand cast of a resident holding their partner’s hand, with the finished cast given to the partner as a form of remembrance.
The critical and high-risk non-compliances observed during the inspections were:
- Two critical-risk non-compliances with the Regulations on risk management procedures; and the admission of children; and four high-risk non-compliances with Regulations on therapeutic services and programmes; premises; the ordering, prescribing, storing and administration of medicines; and staffing at St. Catherine’s Ward, St. Finbarrs Hospital.
- One high-risk non-compliance with the Regulation on medication at Aidan’s Residential Healthcare Unit.
- One high-risk non-compliance with the Regulation on the ordering, prescribing, storing and administration of medicines at Nua Healthcare Services, Gormanston.
The MHC requires corrective and preventative 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/or pursuing prosecution (at the higher end).
Links to the Reports:
