Visits to encourage openness in mental health

A NATIONWIDE project to encourage openness and transparency in the mental health services began with mayoral visits to psychiatric units in Cork and Tullamore.

Organised by Mad Pride Ireland, founded by campaigner John McCarthy, and with the support of the HSE, the initiative is an attempt to maintain a link between patients and their community circle and encourage people to visit their relatives in mental health facilities.

Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr Michael O’Connell and Mayor of Tullamore Cllr Molly Buckley began the project by visiting units in their areas. It is hoped other mayors around the country will follow this example.

During Cllr O’Connell’s visit to St Michael’s unit at Mercy University Hospital, Cork, he spoke about the great advances in the delivery of mental health services over the past 20 years but said there are still “forgotten people”.

He said it is important places where people stay for long periods are more like homes than hospitals.

Nursing staff at the unit told the mayor of the range of therapeutic interventions available from confidence building to educational groups to community groups which support them when they leave hospital.

There are 50 beds at St Michael’s which are always occupied. Staff said nine people were admitted at the weekend, six or seven being first-time admissions.

They said the highest reason for admission to the unit is depression, thoughts of self-harm and suicide, and that financial pressures were really getting to people.

Dr Maeve Rooney, consultant psychiatrist and clinical director or Cork north, said admission to the unit is as a last resort. She said there was a range of community interventions which should be there to catch people before they get to a crisis point of needing hospitalisation.

One patient at the unit told the mayor she felt there was not enough nursing staff to allow them to spend time with people.

“Medical nurses are different to mental health nurses who need to be able to spend time with people if they need it. There are six patients to one nurse here. We need more.”

The patient said there was a shortage of valuable occupational therapy classes, which could be cut from one week to the next, especially a talking therapy group that was very useful.