Psychiatric patients ‘endangered by system’
The call came after a report warned economic cutbacks, rights breaches, unnecessary use of medication on patients, and the placing of children in adult psychiatric wards are endangering the safety of patients.
In its latest annual report, the Mental Health Commission warned that three years into the HSE’s much-vaunted A Vision for Change reforms for the sector, a series of dangerous oversights are continuing to damage the welfare of the most vulnerable patients in the health service.
According to the document, the number of adult involuntarily admissions to psychiatric institutions dropped slightly between 2007 and 2008, from 2,126 to 2,004. However the number of children being sent to adult institutions – internationally seen as a damaging approach to child welfare – rose by 8%, with two out of three of the 392 children or teenagers needing psychiatric care being sent to adult institutions.
Concerns have also been raised about the use of “neo-warehousing” – a form of low-level care for psychiatric long-stay patients – and the ongoing failure to appoint the promised number of staff to act as the backbone of the vital service reform.
When the Vision for Change reforms were launched in 2006, a total of 1,803 additional staff were expected to be appointed over the next decade. To date, 136 new positions have been filled.
“This report is a record of the persistent neglect of persons using mental health services, and intolerably slow progress towards reform,” warned Irish Mental Health Coalition chairman John Saunders.
“Many of the same criticisms are being highlighted year after year by the commission. The HSE needs to immediately appoint a director of mental health to take responsibility for leading the reforms of mental health services which are long overdue,” he said, adding that the group was “concerned” over the HSE’s “press response” to the latest findings.
Reacting to the report’s publication, Minister of State John Maloney said the “purpose of the report is not just about detecting abuses and unsafe practices” but was also about providing “constructive feedback”.
“In these times of economic downturn much emphasis is placed on financial investment. However, reforming our mental health services is not just about increased financial investment, it is about staff being receptive to change,” he said.
