Neill O’Neill
THE acute adult mental health unit at Mayo General Hospital received a favourable review in a report published by the Mental Health Commission (MHC) last week.
Inspected last October, the 32-bed facility was found to be compliant in all areas, except where patients required seclusion or physical restraint. The problems in these areas stemmed from staff not filling in report forms or explaining to patients, or their next of kin, why they were being secluded/restrained.
During the inspection, the unit was found to be bright, spacious and clean and was well-decorated and maintained. The report states that the toilet areas are clean and private and that the facility is wheelchair-accessible. The unit has a number of day areas including a sitting area, a quiet room, a dining room and TV lounge, and has four female four-bed dormitories, two five-bed male dormitories, as well as six single rooms. The inspectors also reported that there is a sufficient number of bathrooms and shower areas in the unit, and that it contains a kitchen, an activities’ area, an occupational therapy room and an art room.
The enclosed outdoor garden has a smoking shelter and the report states that, overall, the unit is well-laid-out to provide personal space and privacy for residents.Nationally, there has been a significant reduction in the number of people admitted on an involuntary basis to in-patient mental health units (approved centres), according to the 2007 Annual Report. However, the Mental Health Commission expressed its concern that while progress in the performance and quality of care in approved centres throughout the country has been made, considerable improvements are still necessary.
In 2007, 2,126 people were treated as involuntary patients in approved centres in Ireland – a 25 per cent reduction on 2005.
Dr Susan Finnerty, Assistant Inspector of Mental Health Services, summarised the report’s findings on Mayo by saying: “The Mayo Mental Health Service has made enormous progress in the care and treatment of residents. All residents in approved centres now have a good standard of accommodation and a care plan that includes a range of therapeutic activities.”
