Mental health - A damning report

An inquiry commissioned by the Mental Health Commission into St Luke’s psychiatric hospital in Clonmel and St Michael’s psychiatric unit in South Tipperary General Hospital is highly critical of the standard of care provided for 180 intellectually disabled residents.

The report exposed widespread failures to provide proper standards.

Residents were inappropriately sedated with tranquillisers to control their behaviour, because of the absence of proper therapeutic and recreation activities. Wards were unnecessarily locked and seclusion was used too often.