Three psychiatric hospitals have been told to stop admitting acute patients after they failed “repeatedly” to comply with regulations.
The Mental Health Commission, an independent body, said it had imposed conditions on St Senan’s hospital in Co Wexford and on St Brendan’s and St Ita’s hospitals in Dublin.
Publishing its annual report for 2009 today, the commission said there had been “very little improvement” in standards for inpatients at psychiatric facilities.
Commission chairman Edmond O’Dea said Government policy to move from treating people in institutions to a ‘care in the community’ model was not being implemented.
"We are now in year five of the implementation of Government policy, A Vision for Change, and it is alarming to see how the ambitions for reform of our mental health services have slipped," he said.
Chief executive of the commission Hugh Kane expressed concern that the HSE’s plan for 2010 did not show it would be possible to develop such new services “within the resources provided”.
“The targets set out in the area of mental health are very modest in their ambition and in some cases are little more than a repeat of the targets set for 2009.”
He noted that mental health support services had seen an increase in demand “as a direct result of stresses and strains placed on individuals in times of economic turbulence”.
“Yet in a year where it has been reported that 700 staff have left mental health services, and spend on services has reduced by €53 million despite promises to increase it by €21 million, it is difficult to see how levels of service can be maintained.”
The commission said it had asked on foot of the 2009 report from the Inspector of Mental Hospitals that St Senan’s, St Brendan’s and St Ita’s had been asked for action plans showing how they intended to comply with the regulations.
“However these are inadequate and show little prospect that the regulations will be complied with in the future.”
It said admissions to two units at St Senan’s must end by February 28th 2011 and the admission of children must cease by June 30th this year. The HSE announced in April that acute admissions to St Senan's would end by next February.
In addition, the hospital must be in “full compliance with the rules governing the use of seclusion and mechanical means of bodily restraint by September 10th next.
St Brendan’s was told to cease acute admissions (other than from rehabilitation services) by September 10th.
St Ita’s must cease acute admissions by February 28th 2011. Two units must permanently close by November 30th and two units must be refurbished by the same date.
The commission noted the phasing out of the admission of children and adolescents to adult centres was “well underway” and will be complete by the end of 2011.
The Government pledged in March to close 14 Victorian-era psychiatric hospitals and to transfer a total of 1,200 patients to more modern community-based facilities within the next three years.
At the time, the Department of Health said it had secured €50 million to invest in new facilities and modernise the mental health service, as set out in the Vision for Change policy.
There has been widespread criticism over the standards of accommodation in these outdated facilities, with mental health inspectors describing them as "inhuman" and "deplorable".
Commenting, John Moloney, Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, said: "Overall the pace of change towards a modern, patient-centred, recovery orientated mental health service is slow. However, the inspector's report acknowledges positive developments in services in 2009.
"I particularly welcome the recommendation by the Inspector that all acute admissions should cease to St Ita's, St Brendan's and St Senan's Hospitals and this should be progressed now as a matter of urgency by the HSE, together with the Mental Health Commission," Mr Moloney said.