Psychiatric patients left in 'battered looking' units

The condition of the unit in Kerry General Hospital in Tralee was dilapidated, according to the mental health inspector's report. There were chipped wooden door frames and the entire interior was badly in need of being painted.

Numerous damp patches were evident in many parts of the ceilings of various rooms throughout the centre, the report of the Mental Health Commission's inspection in early July showed.

It was a beautiful summer's day, yet many of the 36 residents - who included one child - were lying around on their beds over the two-day visit. The inspectors saw no residents using the garden, which was locked.

"Residents were of the view that the garden was out of bounds to them, although staff disputed that this was the case and this led to confusion," the report said.

The seclusion facilities continued to be of such a design and quality as to pose a danger .

A separate unannounced inspection of the South Lee Mental Health Unit in Cork in May found that one child remained in the adult facility for a number of weeks, despite the availability of a bed in the nearby child-and-adolescent mental health in-patient unit.

Staff of the adult unit had sought a bed in that unit and were unaware of this vacancy. There was no lift in the South Lee unit and in the event of a medical evacuation of a resident, staff would have to carry the person down the stairs or use the evacuation chair.

The shower facilities were very poor and male residents used a shower in the female area of the ward as a result. Several of the toilet floors were stained. A number of ligature anchor points were noted by inspectors and pointed out to staff. The only seating area was in a space outside the nurses' offices.