Irish Examiner view: Failing at the most basic of expected standards

Patients at state-of-the-art hospital urged to wear warm clothes due to heating system faults

The Central Mental Hospital, Portrane, Co Dublin. Picture Colin Keegan

The Central Mental Hospital opened in Portrane, Co Dublin, in 2022 at a cost of €200m, and it has had a relatively chequered history ever since.

For instance, while the facility has the capacity to handle 170 people, due to various constraints — such as challenges in attracting psychiatric nurses — it currently has an operating capacity of 112.