Madam, – Jamie Smyth (Home News, February 19th) summarises the recent report of mental health inspectors concerning the high use of sedatives in psychiatric units and the failure to close dilapidated units. However he fails to ask the question: why?
In relation to the overuse of sedatives in some units, the answer may lie not with poor staffing levels but with professionals who lack training in and value of therapeutic interventions and the ability to empathise with distressed patients.
In relation to the closure of dilapidated units, and the fact that other services have achieved the closure of such units, the answer may lie in a deficit of leadership within local management teams and professional representative bodies objecting to changes in work practices. – Yours, etc,