Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Absolutely. Both of them are.I welcome the Minister of State. I know he will relay my concerns to the Minister.

Last week, conditions at the department of psychiatry in St. Luke's Hospital came to public attention following a case which the Mental Health Commission took against the HSE under the Mental Health Act, the first such case to be taken. Staff, parents, patients and loved ones have detailed many of the issues that were found during an unannounced inspection of the unit which took place between 6 November and 9 November. I am deeply concerned that the voices of those using and working in the facility are not being heard and that it takes an unannounced inspection and a court decision for anything to be done. I have highlighted the unacceptable overcrowding at this facility a number of times, both here and in meetings of the mental health committee. I am appalled that it was used as an excuse for not having cleanliness as a standard in the facility. I have been on record to highlight patients being left on corridors, on floors in the TV rooms and on couches but the conditions in this case are staggering in the levels of deprivation on display.

How have we arrived at this point? Is there a culture in hospitals whereby patients seek mental healthcare in which everything is operated without adhering to standards until somebody is caught? I am concerned that these conditions are standard and I would like to be assured that they are not. I would like to be assured that these conditions will never happen again and I would like to be assured that there will be some accountability here.

For far too long, mental health issues have been ignored, stigmatised and demonised. We have buried our mentally ill in basements and back rooms under the veil of shuttered windows and barred doors. We need to clean up our attitudes and adopt modern attitudes in our facilities. We need to shed light on any kind of activity that demonises people who are in need of mental health. I am getting sick and tired of controversies over how we treat each other in this country. The patients in these facilities are the most vulnerable people and they matter, but it was disturbing, to say the least, to listen to my constituents tell me stories of being in the facility and leaving their beds to use the bathroom, only to return to find someone else in their bed, sometimes without clothing on, and to hear their harrowing tales of filth, dirt and unsanitary conditions.

What is the level of supervision of patients across the service? Why was this type of story repeated to me from several different perspectives? I heard from staff in the units who were exasperated with the workload, overwhelmed with actual care and unable to rectify maintenance issues. These staff need help to do their jobs and that is where the HSE comes in. We cannot have a situation where patients using mental healthcare facilities have nowhere to spend recreational time. They see blatant drug use and go to their bed at night in fear of opening their eyes and what they might see upon doing so. These patients are looking for help and what they are receiving is the stuff of torment and nightmares. It is too late when whistleblowers come forward and when unannounced inspections have to be relied upon to catch these things. What sort of a culture exists in the service? The public deserves to know that there is a standard of care across the board. These are most vulnerable patients. They cannot rely on themselves or other patients to look after them. We cannot, again and again, force hard-pressed people into the private system.

This Government does not care about the people who, through no fault of their own, are in financial distress but have to access the public health system for mental care. It is unacceptable to have a facility where there is dirt on the floor and walls and the bedding is of an extremely hazardous material. There has to be a standard from the outset and not in response to a judge. People die, disappear and lose themselves in our system and the Minister has to find a way to ensure these things do not happen. There seems to be money everywhere except where it needs to be put and I am asking the Minister to reassure me and the people of this country that not only will there be accountability, there will be root and branch investigations of all our facilities so that we create a culture of operating at the highest standard, and not just when an inspector arrives.