Sinn Fein's David Cullinane, the party's health spokesperson, has commented on the Mental Health Commission report
The state's watchdog says at least a quarter of mental health facilities are 'not fit for purpose'.
The Mental Health Commission has been telling the Oireachtas Covid-19 Committee today, that the pandemic has highlighted several problems in the sector.
Its report says 56 out of 181 services had positive cases of coronavirus.
The watchdog says there were delays in testing, poor social-distancing and 'dirty' facilities.
Attending the committee, Sinn Fein's David Cullinane, the party's health spokesperson, says bits of the Commission's reports are worrying.
Quoting the report, Deputy Cullinane said the fundamental human rights of residents are being overlooked, and that many mental health residents are still being admitted to outdated and unclean premises.
Responding to Deputy Cullinane, CEO of Mental Health Ireland Martin Rogan said new resources have been put into acute inpatient residential settings, and that inpatient settings for children have seen a quadrupling of the numbers of beds available.
However, Deputy Cullinane responded by saying that when the Mental Health Commission report says there was no meaningful care plan for some patients in 31 centres across the state, then there's something fundamentally wrong.
