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.