'Inhumane' conditions in Irish psychiatric hospitals

[noelyf]

St Ita's
One of three hospitals mentioned in report




Wednesday, 16 June 2010


The Mental Health Commission has ordered three psychiatric hospitals not to admit any new patients from next February.


The Commission, which is responsible for the registration of approved psychiatric hospitals and in-patient facilities, has reported poor conditions in a significant number of centres in its annual report.


The Mental Health Commission's annual report and the reports of its Inspectorate for 2009, detail what it calls 'entirely unacceptable and inhumane conditions' in a number of locations.



The Commission has now instructed three hospitals, St Senan's Hospital in Enniscorthy in Co Wexford, St Brendan's Hospital on Rathdown Road in Dublin, and St Ita's Hospital in Portrane in Co Dublin, to stop admitting new patients after next February.


Two units at St Ita's are required to permanently close by 30 November and one unit must be refurbished in that time.


Government policy on mental health services is to move from a model of institutional care to care in the community.


However, the Commission says this is not being implemented and that services are not being developed quickly enough.

 

[wheelo]

we wouldn't put any other category of sick people into these "hospitals", so why should we put mentally ill people here. this is yet another HSE disgrace, whatever the solution is, be it in the community or care in hospitals, this needs to be sorted quickly, it has been reported that these hospitals aren't fit for human habitation.