Patients in Dublin mental health hospital left in soiled clothes, slapped and threatened

Well done to the health care assistant who made complaints and got it escalated to the point something was done.

The state of care for mental health and people in long term residential care in Ireland is absolutely shite. There have been HIQA reports about it for donkeys years – vulnerable people left basically sedated and in shite for years on end. But you won’t see too many people advocating strongly for this group, and they can’t advocate for themselves much, so it goes on and on.

The examples of what is basically daily life in some of these places:

>According to the report, the unnamed HCA noticed a patient was soiled when she came on duty and asked a colleague for help to change the patient but was told: “After supper.”

>The report states the patient had their supper while soiled and later, at about 10pm, vomited.

>The HCA again asked for help from the colleague, who told her the situation was not urgent and the patient could wait. Another colleague arrived later to help change the patient.

In a way I’m mostly glad to see that the system worked to restore respect to the patients concerned. It also shows how we are all dependent on the bravery of those individuals who just can’t stay quiet and take the easy route for themselves by looking the other way.

I also would say it’s clear enough that the org in this case is actually serious about standards. Not every org believes in their own safeguarding and whistleblowing procedures. To some there is still a strong instinct to cover up and brush off.

Will anything be done to the person/s that left the venerable patients this way?