Dr. Brendan Doody:

It is important to bear in mind that the unit in Cork is in a refurbished building. It was not a bespoke build. We had the advantage in Linn Dara of having a bespoke build on a greenfield site. We configured it based on best evidence and experience from units elsewhere, particularly in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. There are two 11-bedded units plus a two-bed high-dependency unit. Our capacity to respond to admissions depends on the acuity of the case mix. It also depends on the availability of our high-dependency unit. For a period last year when it was not available, it severely reduced our capacity.

As a CAMHS unit, we must manage young people with a diverse range of presentations and ages. There are admissions down to the age of 12 years with severe anxiety or depressive disorders. A significant proportion of our admissions to inpatient facilities have quite severe eating disorders. It is about trying to manage, in that open facility, a young person who may be in a very distressed and agitated presentation as a result of the person's mental health and how to provide a safe environment for not only managing and treating that young person but also being mindful of the other young people on the ward and providing a safe and therapeutic environment. That is much easier to do in a unit with facilities such as access to a high-dependency suite, where the young person can be managed for a period until he or she is ready to join the open ward.