'Unacceptable' facilities and buildings undermining mental health services

John Farrelly, chief executive of the Mental Health Commission, said it is important to ensure physical infrastructure is 'fit for purpose'. Picture: Jason Clarke

Old and unstable buildings are holding back upgrades to mental health facilities in some parts of the country, according to a new report by the Mental Health Commission.

The report, written by Dr Susan Finnerty, the inspector of Mental Health Services, looks at premises used for in-patient mental health services and found that in addition to problems with physical infrastructure, some centres have unclean buildings and/or a poor systems of maintenance, some to an "unacceptable" degree.