The following are selected extracts from the Inspector of Mental Health Services 2005 report.
ST LOMAN'S HOSPITAL,
Palmerstown, Dublin
"The unit [ St Joseph's] was unacceptably dirty and there were cobwebs hanging down within reach in a number of areas. Paint was peeling from the walls and ceiling and there was a hole in the wall along one of the corridors.
"The floor coverings had holes in some places and were in poor condition. The condition of the toilets was extremely poor, both in decor and in lack of cleanliness. All the toilets were dirty with faecal smearing evident on the walls of one toilet. All the toilet bowls were filthy and the floors were dirty. The Parker bath was also dirty. The linen and store rooms were untidy and the floors of these rooms were covered in dust and dirt."
ST MARY'S HOSPITAL,
Castlebar, Co Mayo
"There were inadequate therapeutic or other activities for patients on all three wards. There were no therapeutic activities led by occupational therapists or nursing staff. Apart from a music session once a week in the three wards and aromatherapy in Ward 19, there were no meaningful activities for patients.
"The inspectorate found that the assessment of patients' needs had been carried out on all three wards but these have yet to be analysed.
"There was a lack of nursing staff awareness and involvement in the assessment process. The inspectorate found that there was inadequate medical and psychiatric review of patients on all wards."
ST FINAN'S HOSPITAL,
Killarney, Co Kerry
"The bedroom areas [ in St Peter's unit] comprised some single rooms and a dormitory. There was no privacy in the dormitory as there were no curtains around the beds and it was overcrowded due to the extra bed. One of the single rooms had paint peeling off the walls and the walls appeared to be damp.
"The patients' property was stored in a central cupboard; there were no wardrobes for patients.
"The reason given for this was that other patients would either steal the clothes or throw them out the window."
ST LUKE'S HOSPITAL,
Clonmel, Co Tipperary
"At the time of the second inspection, there continued to be a mix of patients with intellectual disability and mental illness throughout the wards of the hospital; there had been no change since the previous inspection. The practice of locking patients into their bedrooms at night was continuing at the time of the second inspection.
"There was one patient in continuous seclusion whose right to privacy and dignity had been neglected. It was evident from clinical files that seclusion was sometimes used because of staff shortages."