Critical risks identified during inspection of Unit 5B at University Hospital Limerick

A NUMBER of critical risks were identified during an inspection of Unit 5B at University Hospital Limerick last summer, the Mental Health Commission (MHC) has revealed.

A 98-page report has been published arising from the Announced Annual Inspection which took place between June 21 and June 24, 2022.

According to the report, 11 areas of non-compliance were identified during the visit - three of which were described as critical. 

These related to individual care plans, therapeutic services and programmes and the premises which, the inspectors found, was "kept in a state of disrepair inside and outside".

While some concerns and risks were identified, the Unit was found by inspectors to be compliant in all other areas.

The Acute Psychiatric Unit provides inpatient mental health services for the Limerick catchment area and it is an approved centre which is registered to provide acute adult mental health care, mental health rehabilitation, psychiatry of later life, and mental health care for people with an intellectual disability.

There were 36 residents at Unit 5B during the inspection including 11 people who were being "detained" under the relevant legislation, two wards of court and one juvenile. 

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According to the MHC, there had been plans to renovate the seclusion room and the surrounding area in order to create a low-stimulus environment, but no such work had been accomplished by last June.

There were three conditions attached to the centre relating to individual care plans, staffing and premises, and the centre was not in breach of any of these conditions at the time of inspection.

However, according to the report, there has been a significant decrease in compliance overall from 85% in 2021 to 69% in 2022.

The Acute Psychiatric Unit received five non-compliances in both 2021 and 2020.

As a result of the critical non-compliances, identified last June, the MHC commenced escalation and enforcement actions.

It requested that immediate actions be taken by management and that a regulatory compliance meeting take place.

Following that meeting, a Corrective and Preventive Action Plan was agreed and monitoring of the progress to implement the plan is ongoing.

Following the publication of the inspection report, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Commission John Farrelly commented: "Unfortunately, until we see a targeted and proactive approach to maintaining and improving the physical environment, we will continue to find critical and high non-compliances with the regulation on-premises.

“The current approach to structural improvements in a high number of our public mental health centres is inadequate. We must continue to strive to ensure that every person in the state has equal access to a consistent quality of care across all centres. As the regulator, we will continue to play our part by pointing out inadequacies with this and other regulations where they exist.”