Standards at the Department of Psychiatry at UHW have improved hugely in the past year, according to the latest inspection report by the Mental Health Commission.
In 2019, the unit was ranked in the bottom 5 in the country with a compliance rate of 57%.
The inspection for 2020 showed the unit is now at an overall compliance rating of 86% - an improvement of 29%.
Minister for Mental Health and Older People, Mary Butler, TD said that while she would encourage all centres to reach full compliance with the regulations and codes of practice, the improvement was very welcome:
"The centre struggled to achieve compliance in recent years and dropped to a worrying low level of 57% in 2019. Several non-compliances were rated high risk in that inspection, including on the code of practice on the admission of children, staff training deficits and that the centre was not adequately clean".
The 2020 inspection report notes that the centre was clean, hygienic, and kept in a good state of repair externally and internally and that there was a programme of maintenance, cleaning, decontamination, and repair of assistive equipment.
Overcrowding
Protests have taken place in the past over facilities and overcrowding at the 45 bed unit. Over the October Bank Holiday weekend in 2019, patients were forced to sleep on chairs and on the floor. Minister Butler says this issue has been remedied:
“In recent years I consistently raised concerns, with respect to the challenges presenting within the DOP at UHW and in particular, on issues of overcrowding. I visited the centre recently and very much welcome the progress made by the DOP at UHW, including the introduction of a daily bed management system to deal with issues of overcapacity”.
The unit has also a service level agreement with St Patrick's in Dublin which has helped the overcrowding situation. However, the Minister acknowledged there is still much to do:
"The area of high-risk non-compliance identified in the latest inspection report on individual care plans must be addressed going forward to ensure that people accessing the centre have real, meaningful involvement in their own care and treatment. Similarly, further work is needed to redress high risk non compliance on the code of practice on the admission of children”.
New building
Minister Butler told WLR News she is confident a new standalone Department of Psychiatry building on the grounds of University Hospital Waterford will be provided for in this year's capital plan.
The plan is currently on the desk of the Minister for Health and a decision is expected within 'weeks'.
