Mental health patients forced into locked ward

FIVE women who had been living on an open ward at St Brendan’s Hospital in Dublin were yesterday forced into a locked ward for Christmas because of HSE staff cutbacks.

The women, who were living on an open ward in the psychiatric hospital, were moved without proper consultation, according to nursing staff who highlighted the issue on the Joe Duffy show last week and again yesterday.

The five women are on “Unit O” for five weeks.

According to the most recent inspection report published by the Mental Health Commission: “Unit O is small and there was no area for recreational activities. There was no visitors’ area in Unit O. Mobile phones were not allowed on the unit. Phone calls had to be made from the nurses’ office; there was no pay phone.

“Sleeping accommodation was in one dormitory. Each bed had curtains surrounding it. This unit was very small with only one living space for residents. It had no quiet area. It was unsuitable for the care of residents with challenging behaviour.”

More than 1,000 nurses have retired from mental health services since 2009 and it is expected at least that number will retire before February.

According to the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA), these type of issues are only set to get worse.

General secretary Des Kavanagh said the HSE seemed to only be interested in numbers and not the people behind them. He said it was always the mental health services which suffered HSE staff cutbacks.

In Limerick, there are hostels for people with mental health problems in the community where there is no supervision at night.

In recent weeks, a woman was locked in a toilet for 14 hours overnight.

Gardaí also had to be called to the same hostel after hours as residents became unruly after drinking.

The PNA in Limerick added that services in day centres were closing and community teams were being amalgamated as the squeeze on staff continued.

The director of Mental Health Reform, Orla Barry, said the €35 million investment announced in the budget last week cannot make up for the extent of cuts in the services.

She said that “mental health is also subject to a 2% efficiency saving as well as all other cuts that are hitting the health services in general. The system is already on its knees.”