HSE will engage with Mental Health Commission over Bantry services ahead of court date

It is understood there are concerns over safety levels at the unit, with the building deemed outdated and not fit-for-purpose.

The Mental Health Commission wants the HSE to renovate a facility that has been the subject of criticism across a number of MHC inspection reports. File picture: Denis Minihane

The HSE has said it will continue to engage with the country's mental health watchdog over the provision of acute psychiatric services in Bantry, even as both organisations prepare for a court date over bed capacity at the facility.

The Mental Health Commission, which recently inspected the unit in Co. Cork, has recommended a reduction in bed capacity at Bantry’s Centre for Mental Health Care and Recovery from 18 to 11. It wants the HSE to renovate a facility that has been the subject of criticism across a number of MHC inspection reports.