The Health Service Executive has closed the Lakeview Acute Mental Health Unit at Naas General Hospital as a consequence of the ongoing dispute between the psychiatric nurses’ unions and the HSE.
In a statement this afternoon the HSE said it was taking the "regrettable" decision to close the unit because it could not "deliver continuity of care in a safe environment".
Patients are being transferred to alternative facilities.
The HSE has asked anyone seeking further information to contact them on 045 849582.
Meanwhile the Mental Health Commission, the regulatory body charged with promoting and protecting the rights of patients with mental illness, has written a strongly worded letter to David Begg, General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and to the CEO of the HSE Brendan Drumm calling for the immediate and full restoration of mental health services.
It said it was "deeply concerned" at the serious impact the dispute was having on the care and welfare of patients within the mental health service.
A war of words broke out earlier today between unions representing psychiatric nurses and the HSE after a meeting scheduled to take place this morning did not go ahead.
Both sides are blaming each other for the failure of the meeting to take place.
Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) general secretary Des Kavanagh told ireland.comthe meeting was deferred by Brendan Mulligan of the HSE Employers Agency.
However Mr Mulligan denied he had deferred the meeting claiming he had been “stood up” by union representatives.
“We wrote to the unions yesterday inviting them to meeting to discuss cover during the proposed escalation of their industrial action next Monday. They confirmed that representatives of both unions would attend,” he said.
“But they were a no-show. I was waiting at 11am. I was stood up,” he added.
Mr Kavanagh said they had been prepared to send national officers to the meeting but said it was “unnecessary” for senior officials to attend as the meeting was to discuss contingency plans during a strike.
“We are not on strike. The HSE seems almost pre-programmed to assume we’re on strike. The only escalation of the dispute we envisage starting on Monday is that we will no longer allow the HSE to redeploy staff in outreach services to cover staffing gaps caused by the overtime ban,” he said.
Mr Kavanagh claimed Mr Mulligan told Seamus Murphy, senior industrial relations officer with the PNA, yesterday there was “hardly any point” in holding today’s meeting if senior officials were not going to attend.
Mr Mulligan said the failure by union representatives to attend the meeting raised a question mark about their commitment to patients.
“Unions say management don’t care about the nurses. Well a non-show by the unions raises a question mark about the unions’ commitment to patients,” he said.
The PNA and Siptu, representing 8,000 staff, have refused to work overtime since last week.
The dispute centres on a compensation scheme for staff who are injured as a result of attacks at work.
Meanwhile, nurses at the Central Mental Hospital in Dublin are to seek assurances from the hospital director that staffing levels are adequate during the current dispute to provide a safe working environment.The nurses are due to meet at the hospital to discuss the effects of the overtime ban by the unions at the high security unit. They will not resume duty tomorrow without these assurances.
The Irish Hospital Consultants Association today expressed its dismay at the ongoing dispute and called for both sides to find a speedy resolution.