The Mental Health Commission has found that psychiatric patients were being transferred from the APU at Ennis General Hospital to another facility despite such transfers being prohibited.
In its latest inspection report, the watchdog found that the descision was made to alleviate bed shortages even though such transfers aren't in the best interest of patients.
In its latest inspection report, the Mental Health Commission has identified a number of areas of non-compliance at the Acute Psychiatric Unit of Ennis General Hospital.
The commission prohibits the transfer of residents to another approved centre to alleviate bed shortages but the report found there had been a significant number of residents transferred from Ennis to sleep overnight in another approved centre over the previous months.
It also says the transfer of residents didn't meet the transfer criteria as it wasn't in the best interest of the resident to be moved to another facility and the resident wasn't in need of special treatment that can only be provided in the receiving facility.
In four transfers, there was no record of a medical review prior to transfer, the residents consent to transfer wasn't always documented and as the transfers were carried out to alleviate a shortage of beds, they couldn't be planned.
The report also found that all transfers happened after 9 o'clock at night and one transfer took place at 01:20am in the morning, while not all admission or discharge documentation was fully complete for all residents.
