St Luke’s Department of Psychiatry has been found non-compliant in 21 out of the 39 areas that were inspected by the Mental Health Commission.
The inspection was carried out towards the end of September last year as part of their unannounced annual inspections.
One of the main areas of concern was in relation to privacy and dignity because of the fact that patients had been made sleep on mattresses on the sitting room floor when the unit was overcrowded.
There were also hygiene issues as toilet and bedroom floors were found to be dirty, badly stained and damaged in some areas.
Air vents were also stained and blocked in some rooms.
Staffing issues were also recorded with the report noting the numbers and skill-mix of staff were not appropriate to the needs of residents and the size of the centre.
As well as that, not all residents had access to a psychologist due to a shortage of psychology staff.
Other areas of non-compliance included the use of physical restraints and the placing of patients in seclusion – because in one instance they were kept alone for more than 8 hours.
In most areas inspected staff were found to be respectful to patients and well-trained.
A number of corrective measures have now been outlined for the Department to follow – some of which have since been completed, and others which will be completed by the end of summer.
