Immense difficulties are being experienced in trying to recruit staff to work at the Central Mental Hospital where conditions were yesterday described as "very, very grim" by the Minister for Health, Mr Martin.
The hospital in Dundrum, Dublin, which is the State's only facility for treating mentally ill offenders, is finding it particularly difficult to recruit psychiatric nurses. As a result, it had to close one ward in recent months.
Some of the difficulties, as well as the appalling conditions in which some patients are cared for, were seen at first hand by Mr Martin when he became the first serving health minister to visit the 150 year old facility yesterday.
Afterwards Mr Martin described the physical conditions in the older section of the hospital, where the majority of its 75 patients are cared for, as unacceptable. "The physical conditions are very, very grim indeed and are unsatisfactory. There is no question about that. . .it's clear to me that these conditions cannot be allowed continue indefinitely."
Moreover, he said the fact that some 54 patients still had to "slop out" every day was unsatisfactory. "It's a huge indictment on all of us in society that in today's day and age this is presently the situation," he said.
A project team has been appointed to draw up plans for a modern forensic psychiatric service.
Its first meeting was held yesterday and it remains to be seen whether it decides to extend and refurbish the hospital or move to a new site.
Regardless of what is decided, it is likely to be years before change. "It is very difficult to say when things will improve. A lot depends on how long it takes to design and build an alternative and how long it takes to recruit extra staff," Dr Harry Kennedy, the hospital's clinical director, said.
The hospital also requires greater capacity. "At the moment we are able to admit two patients a week or about 100 a year. We know we need to be able to admit about 300 a year," he said.
Mr Martin said the hospital suffered from " historic neglect" but it was the Department of Health's "obligation" to find money to fund improvements once plans were drawn up. It would look at all options including public/private partnership.
Meanwhile Mr Tommy Cullen, a Labour Party councillor on the Eastern Regional Health Authority, has suggested the Dundrum hospital site be sold and a new hospital built on health board land in Co Wicklow.
"It's throwing good money after bad putting it in here. This is a dark, dungeon-type building and it would cost three times more per square foot to refurbish it than build a new facility on a greenfield site," he said.