The long-awaited new Central Mental Hospital officially opened today, having been relocated to a new €200m Portrane campus in north Dublin.
The facility has been moved from a Victorian-era building in Dundrum, where many of its buildings date from 1852. It has frequently been criticized for not being fit for purpose.
The Mental Health Commission had required the closure of the Dundrum site by March this year.
Its latest report identified three “high risk” breaches of compliance, with many of the aspects being criticized for the inadequacy of the building.
The new hospital was completed in 2020, however additional construction work and labor relations issues had delayed the opening until now.
Central Mental Hospital is located on the National Forensic Mental Health Service (NFMHS) campus in Portrane.
It was officially opened by Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly, Minister for Mental Health and Aging Mary Butler and James Browne, Minister of State for Law Reform.
Initial capacity will be 110 patients and it is understood that the Dundrum facility’s existing 94 patients will be transferred in the coming weeks.
Around two-thirds of the hospital’s patients are admitted through the criminal justice system and it is understood that around half of current patients are considered high-security patients.
Capacity at CMH will increase to 130 by 2023. Approximately 400 clinical and support staff will also move to the new site.
The total capacity of the NFMHS will be 170, to include an ICRU (Intensive Care Rehabilitation Unit), which will serve short stays, and ten beds in the Forensic Child and Adolescent Mental Health Unit (FCAMHS).
The new Central Psychiatric Hospital will have enhanced security measures, with a greater reliance on technology and CCTV surveillance than the old Victorian facility.
Staff had to manually open the original door to the Dundrum hospital, while the new CMH sits behind imposing electronic doors.
Visits will now be by appointment only, restricted to approved and screened visitors, and will be met with airport-style security scanners in the reception area.
Staff will not be able to bring their personal phones into the new facility and will instead be equipped with a device that acts as a personal alarm, fire trigger and phone.
Anti-barricade doors have been installed in some areas of the hospital, to allow staff quick access to patients should they try to lock themselves in.
There are several units in the hospital, including a women-only unit.
Each will house two wards, with between ten and 15 beds per ward. There are also two seclusion rooms in each ward.
Ten existing female patients will transfer to the Portrane hospital this month. For the first time, there will be room to separate patients based on whether they fall into the high, medium or low support categories.
This separation of female patients will be phased in over the first six months of 2023 as more staff will be required.
A village center within the perimeter of the Central Mental Hospital will serve as a shared recreational space for patients.
Inside, there will be a patient cafe, where patients themselves will be able to work.
There will be primary care services such as a GP and dental office, as well as a gym, basketball court and rooms dedicated to art, carpentry, cooking and music classes.
Two courtrooms have also been built, where a panel appointed by the Mental Health Commission will review patients’ cases and make decisions regarding their continued hospital detention.
Psychiatric Nurses Association General Secretary Peter Hughes said the opening of the new hospital is a significant capital investment in the mental health facility, but some staffing and operational issues remain to be resolved.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland programme, she said: “We have a major crisis in the recruitment and retention of mental health nurses across the country… this month 110 beds of the 170 bed campus will open and we are very disappointed with that and the reason for that is that they don’t have the nurses to open the remaining 60 beds”.
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