Mental health unit given largely clean bill of health

The acute mental health unit at University Hospital Galway has been given a largely clean bill of health in the latest inspection by the independent Mental Health Commission.

It has gone from a rating of 74 per cent compliance in 2019 to 94 per cent last year.

The main area it fell down was in creating individual care plans for patients which were deemed to be of a poor standard.

Of the seven plans reviewed, five did not identify appropriate goals for the resident or the care and treatment required to meet the goals identified. It also made no mention of the resources needed to provide their care or treatment.

The six-monthly health assessment also received a black mark. The reports documented a physical examination, family or personal history, blood pressure, smoking status, dental health, nutritional status and a medication review.

However, two out of three general health assessments examined did not document the resident’s body-mass index, weight, or waist circumference.

But otherwise it was a glowing report from the Inspector of Mental Health Services, Dr Susan Finnerty.

She found the numbers and skill mix of staffing at the unit were sufficient to meet resident needs and an appropriately qualified staff member was on duty and in charge at all times.

She said there were significant strides undertaken in Galway to address issues identified in the 2019 inspection.

“This hard work has been rewarded by the positive results achieved in their 2020 reports.”

It was a very different story in 2019 when inspectors raised concerns about physical restraints being used on patients as well as the use of seclusion throughout the unit.

Two patients were not told why they were being restrained or for how long, and there was no record to indicate if they had been medically examined within three hours of being restrained.

The Adult Acute Mental Health Unit at UHG is registered for 50 beds. At the time of the inspection there were 44 patients being treated at the centre, which opened at a cost of €20 million in 2018.