Waterford psychiatric facilities unsuitable despite €1.2m upgrade

Facilities for patients with acute psychiatric difficulties in Waterford University Hospital remain unsuitable despite a recent €1.2 million upgrade, according to a new report.

The Inspector of Mental Health Services reports for 2014 also outlined concerns over the admission of children to adult facilities as well as “careless” prescription practices in certain centres.

Despite being largely compliant across various categories the Waterford hospital came in for particular criticism, and inspectors concluded that attempted improvements to the acute unit at the Department of Psychology failed to address issues of design, layout and care facilities.

As a result, residents of the 10-person unit were left without dining facilities or adequate seating area
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