Inspection report identifies one critical risk at Mayo mental health centre
An inspection report published by the Mental Health Commission (MHC) has identified one critical risk at a Mayo mental health centre - but an overall compliance rate of 97% is a significant improvement on its previous inspection.
A seven-bed approved centre located on the outskirts of Castlebar, Teach Aisling, is registered as a long-stay unit for residents with enduring mental illness and for mental health rehabilitation.
This inspection was carried out during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Due to public health restrictions, certain activities within approved centres were not able to take place.
The inspectors took these restrictions into account when assessing compliance with regulations rules and codes of practice.
Only compliance with regulations, rules and codes of practice was assessed, and quality ratings were not included.
The centre had one critical non-compliance on the use of seclusion.
One resident was placed alone in a room with a means of exit denied to them for periods of time.
Although this met the definition of seclusion, the approved centre did not comply with any of the rules governing the use of seclusion, including completing the seclusion register, orders for seclusion, ending of seclusion, recording of seclusion, monitoring of a person in seclusion, or clinical governance of seclusion.
There was one condition attached to the registration of this approved centre at the time of inspection relating to premises.
However, the centre was neither in breach of the condition at the time of inspection, nor was it non-compliant with the associated regulation.
The overall compliance rating for Teach Aisling in 2020 was 97%, up from 73% since 2019.
Apart from the one critical non-compliance, there were no other areas of non-compliance identified.
“Although it must be noted that there was one critical non-compliance at this centre, it was also encouraging to observe the centre improve its overall compliance rating by 24% from 73% in 2019 to 97% this year," the report stated.
“This clearly demonstrates that the centre, management and staff have made significant efforts to address weaknesses in service since the previous inspection.”
The chief executive of the Mental Health Commission, John Farrelly, observed: “Services must weigh carefully any proposal to place a resident alone in a room for period of time, and they simply cannot prevent that person from leaving the room unless they apply the rules governing the use of seclusion.
“We have and will continue to caution against any form of restrictive practice, unless it is clear that there is no other option available and an individual has to be restrained for their own safety and the safety of others.”