Children still being placed in adult psychiatric wards

One in five children or teens admitted to a mental health facility are still being placed in "inappropriate" adult wards — despite the policy being outlawed since 2011.

The still-unresolved situation has been detailed in the latest Mental Health Commission (MHC) annual report, which has warned that 91 children were subjected to the heavily criticised care last year. According to the document, during 2013, a total of 332 children were admitted to mental health facilities on 408 occasions — with 91 sent to adult wards for an average of 47 days because no other option was available.

The rate — 22.3% of child cases, is down from 107 (24.5%) in 2012 and 132 (30.7%) in 2011.

In addition, one in every three children admitted to adult wards last year was subsequently transferred to a child unit — up from just under one in four in 2012.

However, despite the slight year-on-year reduction, Government officials have been heavily criticised for the ongoing failure to ensure no child is sent to an adult ward at all, after the policy was effectively outlawed three years ago.

Under a 2011 addendum to the 2001 Mental Health Act, it was specifically stated that “no child under 18 years is to be admitted to an adult unit in an approved centre from December 1, 2011”.

While an allowance for “exceptional circumstances” was made, the legal change — insisted on after years of concerns over the practice — said the MHC must be told why the adult ward placement was necessary, and what attempts would be made to transfer the child to a more appropriate setting as quickly as possible.

Hitting out at the continuing failure to live up to the commitment at the report’s launch, MHC chief executive Patricia Gilheaney insisted “it is simply not acceptable” that the problems persist.

Raising the ongoing concerns in the Dáil yesterday, Fine Gael TD Dan Neville and Fianna Fáil whip Seán Ó Fearghaíl called for immediate action.

“Unfortunately we’ve been raising this for a decade and a half,” said government backbencher Mr Neville, who has been a long-time campaigner on mental health reform.

Criticising the ongoing situation, he said children under the age of 10 were currently being placed in psychiatric wards next to adults aged “60, 70, 80 and 90 years old” — a situation the TD said was “deemed by all to be totally unsuitable” and “detrimental” to their recovery.

Both Mr Neville and Mr Ó Fearghaíl called on the Government to make an immediate commitment to addressing the issue by 2015, and said despite beds being available in child units, a lack of staff means they cannot be used.

Despite accepting the issue was unacceptable, junior health minister Alex White — who answered the Dáil questions on behalf of the Coalition — said: “I think the deputies will agree there has been significant progress on this matter.”