Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I echo the comments of the Acting Chairman, Deputy Thomas P. Broughan. I raised this issue three weeks ago as a parliamentary question and I am still awaiting a reply. I have requested a Topical Issues debate on five occasions in the interim. However, none of the three Ministers believed it was worthwhile to come here to address the crisis in the acute psychiatric unit in Roscommon County Hospital. It requires urgent and immediate action by the Department of Health.

The crisis has its origin in a decision made last August. At the time I expressed my serious concerns to senior management. I expressed my reservations again in April. On both occasions I was assured that there were adequate provisions in place to cater for all patients and ensure the safety of patients, staff and the community at large. Despite these assurances, two families have gone public in the past two weeks with a different perspective. The family of a 38 year old mother who died following a tragic incident in the acute psychiatric unit has called for a public inquiry into the circumstances surrounding her death. The family of a second patient has raised another matter. The patient was seriously assaulted by an outpatient who was subsequently allowed to be in close proximity to the innocent victim owing to the unavailability of appropriate alternative accommodation. During the same period two female nursing staff were seriously assaulted. To compound this, in recent months An Garda Síochána has been called on a number of occasions to support staff at the unit.

I am deeply concerned by the range of reports I have received on the capacity of the facility to cater for existing demand and the ongoing needs of the community it serves. There is no doubt that, from senior management down, the current staffing level in the psychiatric service in County Roscommon is grossly inadequate to deal with the existing caseload of the acute unit. As a direct result, management has redeployed staff from the community and day services to try to assist with the operation of the unit. This is leaving service users without day services and vital community supports, thereby putting even further pressure on the acute psychiatric services locally.

Two steps are required urgently. First, additional staff must be allocated to the psychiatric service in County Roscommon in the light of the fact that there has been a disproportionate loss of staff as a result of retirements. Second, long-term involuntary patients should not be accommodated in an acute psychiatric unit. Steps must be taken to transfer such patients to more appropriate facilities as a matter of urgency.

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