Lack of ‘crash cart’ at unit

An unannounced inspection of a mental health unit for elderly patients found there was no access to a ‘crash cart’ despite some having conditions that increase the risk of cardiac arrest.

In breach of regulation, residents of Cappahard Lodge on the outskirts of Ennis, Co Clare, did not have access to an emergency trolley or an automated external defibrillator, used to treat sudden cardiac arrest.

An inspection by the Mental Health Commission last December said this lack of access was against a backdrop of some patients “receiving psychotropic medication and/or having diabetes, which increases the risk of a cardiac arrest”.