Proactive steps taken to ensure safety of service users at mental health centre
We released three inspection reports this morning related to two centres in Dublin and one in Cork. One centre in Dublin received one critical risk and four high risk non-compliances, while the other centres received overall compliance ratings of 91% and 94% respectively.
Commenting on the reports, the Inspector of Mental Health Services, Dr Susan Finnerty, said: “Two of the centres inspected had a high overall rate of compliance, both above 90%, with one centre increasing its compliance significantly which has to be commended. It is disappointing to see that one centre had a significant decrease in compliance of 15% due to ligature high risk areas not being minimised including not having measures to keep all residents safe as a single storey roof was low enough that residents could abscond.”
The Chief Executive of the MHC, John Farrelly, said: “We have ensured this critical risk was addressed immediately and actions have been agreed and initiated to mitigate these risks identified by our inspectors with the result of the risk of potential service user harm from attempting to use the roof in the garden to abscond cannot happen again.”
The Acute Psychiatric Unit at Tallaght Hospital is located on the ground floor of the hospital. It consists of three wards and is registered for 52 residents. The accommodation facilities on each of the three wards consist of shared dormitories, with a limited number of single bedrooms. Building work is underway to provide a new seclusion suite and en suite bathrooms to two single rooms. Funding was also approved to replace windows and add anti-absconsion measures to the roof of the single storey building.
The centre recorded an overall compliance rate of 83%, a 14% decrease on its 2020 inspection. There were three conditions attached to the registration of this approved centre at the time of inspection. The centre was not in breach of any condition but was non-compliant with two regulations related to premises and staffing.
The centre was critically non-compliant with the regulation relating to premises because the ligature audit identified that there were high risk areas in two wards that were not minimised to the lowest practicable level. The inspection team was informed that a phased approach would be used to minimise high risk ligature points, and that funding had been approved for some of this work. In addition, the single storey roof did not have measures to keep all residents safe, as it was low enough that residents could abscond. There was several absconsions over the single storey roof and residents had accessed the roof from the garden.
Details of the timeframe to complete this work was not made available to the inspection team but was later dealt with through our enforcement process.
The Cork Adult Mental Health Unit is located on the campus of Cork University Hospital, a standalone and purpose built two storey building. Downstairs male and female accommodation comprises of 38 single and two double en suite bedrooms. Upstairs, older persons are accommodated in eight single en suite bedrooms. It is a 50-bed facility.
The centre received an overall compliance rate of 94%, an increase of 15% on the compliance it received in 2020. The inspectors found that there were strong governance structures and processes in place. In addition, the centre operated safe practices and effective systems were in place to safeguard patients. A representative from the Irish Advocacy Network attended the centre on a weekly basis. Formal complaints were dealt with by a complaints officer who was not based in the approved centre. Monthly community meetings are held with the residents where requests and suggestions recorded along with follow up and outcomes.
The Adolescent In-patient Unit at St Vincent's Hospital is a 12-bed approved centre located within the grounds of St. Vincent’s Hospital, Fairview. The approved centre is located on the first floor and shares a reception area with the child and adolescent mental health service day hospital. The centre accepts admissions from 15 years of age to 18 years. Residents are accommodated in 12 single, en suite bedrooms.
The centre received an overall compliance rate of 91% which was a slight decrease from 94% recorded in its 2020 inspection. There were no conditions attached to the approved centre and it received two moderate and one low non-compliance on inspection.
You can read our full statement here.
Acute Psychiatric Unit, Tallaght Hospital Inspection Report 2021
Acute Mental Health Unit, Cork University Hospital Inspection Report 2021
Adolescent In-patient Unit, St Vincent's Hospital Inspection Report 2021
