Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

There are some units that I would call psycho-geriatric. The witness mentioned dementia. There is a unit in Portlaoise linked to the main hospital. When I inquired locally, I was told that HIQA did not investigate it but rather the Mental Health Commission is responsible. Where does HIQA end and where does the Mental Health Commission start and are both organisations fulfilling a similar role? Is there a need for the two separate organisations? Psychiatric-geriatric patients should be under the remit of HIQA because they are geriatric but the Mental Health Commission might believe it is responsible for them because they are psychiatric patients. Where is the line drawn?