Why didn’t the HSE act sooner?

THE 230-page report of the 18-month inquiry conducted on behalf of the Mental Health Commission into conditions at the Central Mental Hospital at Dundrum makes grim reading.

It depicts horrific conditions, with the rights and dignity of patients being seriously infringed by the standard of clinical care, a lack of proper resources, and an outdated custodial culture.

The conditions depicted are essentially Dickensian, with the emphasis being placed on custodial concerns rather than on therapeutic care. The report found that patients were subject to levels of security that were not required by an assessment of risk.