Concern over wait list for access to Central Mental Hospital

An archive picture of the Central Mental Hospital in Dublin.

A growing waiting list for prisoners with a severe psychiatric illness in accessing the Central Mental Hospital represents “an increasing risk” and a “significant patient safety issue” for prison authorities, the Irish Prison Service (IPS) has said.

The IPS was responding to figures, obtained by the Irish Examiner, which show an increase of around 20% in the number of prisoners waiting to get into the CMH – rising from 13 last October to 16 in November.