Mr. Peter Hughes:

It is very low and this has been a problem for some years. As I stated, psychiatric nurses embraced A Vision for Change and many of our members were excited about the prospect of services moving into the community. This has not happened, however. It is demoralising for nurses to have to tell patients they must sleep overnight on a chair. These patients have contacted the mental health services seeking help because they are experiencing mental health distress. Telling these patients they must sleep on a chair only increases their distress and is extremely demoralising for staff.