Laundry stored in ‘pools of water’ in mental health unit

The inappropriate placing of children in a number of adult mental health units has been criticised by the Mental Health Commission.

Issues with foul smell, decaying premises and understaffing are also raised in some of the latest 14 inspection reports published by the commission.

At St Finian’s Hospital in Killarney, residents did not have privacy when using the phone, some curtains reached only halfway around the bed, and locks were missing on bedroom and toilet doors.

“The floors were badly stained. The paint was peeling from the walls. The toilets and sinks were unclean. In the dormitories, the curtain hooks and rails were dirty and rusty. In one of the male dormitories, there was staining in the corner of the ceiling.”

Doctor calls for strict regulation of medicinal cannabis

---

Cystic fibrosis patients hopeful further drugs may be developed

---

Fad diet ‘nonsense’ may cause osteoporosis in young people

---

Dr Heimlich and how his simple manoeuvre can save your life

---

Inspectors also found that plaster was tearing away from the wall, nursing offices were cramped and small, and furnishings were old and worn. The emergency cord in one toilet was cut short so it could not be reached by residents.

There was mould on the ceiling of the sluice room, where bags of dirty laundry were stored on the floor “in pools of water”.

Cigarettes in press

St Vincent’s Hospital in Fairview was told to take immediate action after cigarettes were found stored in a locked medicine press and prescriptions were illegible. No signature was found in the record book for one dosage of a controlled drug.

A report found there was a strong smell of urine from residents’ toilets, there were damp stains on a ceiling, and wardrobe doors were missing.

Inspectors were also critical of staffing levels and the lack of access for residents to an occupational therapist or social worker.

Two children had been admitted, despite the facilities being inappropriate for them.

Inspectors found the Sliabh Mis mental health ward in University Hospital Tralee was not kept in a good state of repair. The female dormitory had a hole in one of the ceiling tiles through which piping was visible.

The centre was clean but “unpleasant odours” were present in the toilets and mould on the wall of a shower room.

Six children had been admitted to the centre since a previous inspection, despite the fact the unit was for adults and did not provide age-appropriate facilities for children.

St Stephen’s Hospital in Glanmire, Co Cork, was faulted for not controlling against the risk of suicide and self-harm, understaffing in one unit and a failure to record all incidents.