The HSE is ‘unable to give a timeline’ on when the new psychiatric unit at Roscommon Hospital will be developed.
A HSE spokesperson made the comments when responding to queries from the Roscommon Herald on when a long awaited new unit would be delivered at the hospital.
The construction of a new, specialised facility is needed to address the issues identified in a number of annual inspection reports carried out by the Mental Health Commission. The latest report painted a damning picture of the patient environment at the existing unit, which has been officially acknowledged as not being fit for purpose.
A HSE spokesperson told the Roscommon Herald that a business case to develop a new 35 bedded unit was now complete.
“The business case was escalated. Local HSE Estates are aware of this and are supportive of the proposal.
“The service is seeking a standalone purpose-built unit connected to/adjacent to Roscommon University Hospital (RUH) in order to better meet the needs of the population of the catchment area,” said the spokesperson.
When asked what the next stage of the process would now be following the completion of the business case, the spokesperson said: “Mental Health Services will need the assistance of local HSE Estates to get the project through the various steps for approval for capital projects.
“Locally, we would see the next major milestone as the appointment of a design team to progress the development. The proposed development is fully supported by Saolta University Healthcare Group and RUH.” However, the HSE spokesperson said that at “this point we are unable to provide a timeline on when the new facility will be developed”.
Cramped conditions, televisions awaiting anti-ligature casing, potentially hazardous radiator pipes, bed curtains held together with Sellotape and ripped arm rests on couches were among some of the issues identified at the unit in the recent Mental Health Commission’s inspection report.
The report found that the unit was non-compliant in six out of 29 regulations, and the commission recommended a corrective and preventative action plan with a series of timelines.
