Beaumont chief quits over ‘unsafe’ mental health policies

Mental Health Reform has criticised a major acute hospital for leaving patients at risk of suicide in its busy and overcrowded emergency department for hours on end.

The clinical director of Beaumont Hospital in Dublin has resigned because he feels the situation was entirely unsafe and indefensible.

It was reported in a Sunday newspaper that Prof Shane O’Neill, the hospital’s most senior doctor said he could not stand over “significant clinical risk” in an email to the hospital on Friday evening. The doctor was not referring to patients who had self-harmed or overdosed needing medical or surgical intervention, but those who were suicidal or suffering extreme psychiatric episodes, such as psychosis.

The Ashlin Centre, a purpose-built adult HSE psychiatric facility on the grounds of the hospital is due to open this week.

Mental Health Reform, the national coalition that promotes improved mental health services in Ireland, said the hospital should be able to offer a solution on how crisis should be assessed.

“Spending long hours in an emergency department is inappropriate for someone who is acutely psychotic or unwell — it just adds to their distress,” said director Dr Shari McDaid.

Dr McDaid said the assessments could be conducted either in the Aisling Centre or the emergency department.

“It is possible to come up with a better arrangement in the emergency department other than leaving patients sitting around for up to 8 hours waiting to be seen,” she said.

Asked about Prof O’Neill’s resignation, Dr McDaid said she had known for a while there were concerns. “I am disappointed that it has got to this point where the negotiations and consultations have not resulted in a solution that everybody found satisfactory.”

A statement from Beaumont said existing psychiatric assessment and treatment services at the nearby Joyce Rooms in Fairview would close following the opening of the Ashlin Centre.

It said proposals had been made to have out-of-hours and weekend assessments for the Ashlin Centre carried out at Beaumont’s emergency department, with the assistance of additional resources.

The statement added that the proposals were under “active discussion” between the HSE and the hospital.

Fianna Fáil spokesperson on health Billy Kelleher said the resignation of Prof O’Neill must be a wake-up call for Minister of Health Dr James Reilly and Minister for Mental Health Kathleen Lynch.