The father of a 15-year-old autistic boy facing into his third year in a secure adult psychiatric unit yesterday called on the Mid-Western Health Board to provide proper long-term residential care for his son.
The call came in the wake of a recommendation from the Inspector of Mental Hospitals, Dr Dermot Walsh, that the practice of admitting children to Unit 5B of the Mid-West Regional Hospital in Limerick cease. Dr Walsh said in his report published this week that the question of admitting children to this unit must be reviewed "as a matter of urgency".
The Co Clare boy, then aged 13, was admitted to the secure adult psychiatric unit two years ago after an incident at the family home in September 2002 when the boy tried to stab his father with a steak knife, necessitating the calling of the emergency services.
The boy's father said yesterday that Unit 5B was the only place "for his son at the moment".
"The health board would not have to make the inappropriate admissions to Unit 5B if the proper care was in place," he said.
The boy, who celebrated his 15th birthday earlier this year in the unit, travels to a special needs school in Co Clare every day by taxi, accompanied by a psychiatric nurse.
The boy's father said that as a result of the care his son is receiving, the boy's violent outbursts are much less frequent.
Labour Party health spokeswoman Ms Liz McManus called on the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, and the health board to provide proper care for the boy. Independent Clare TD Mr James Breen also expressed concern at the boy's situation.
In the annual report of the Inspector of Mental Hospitals, Dr Walsh, for the third year in a row, expressed concern over the admission of children to Unit 5B.
He said it was a matter of great concern to the inspectorate that there has been the practice of accommodating children, some as young as 11 and sometimes as many as three simultaneously, in the unit.
"While the inspectorate acknowledged that the lack of adequate in-patient accommodation for child and adolescent services was a serious matter, the placement of children in adult units was inappropriate."
Dr Walsh interviewed one of the youths concerned.
In his report he said: "The whole question of admitting children to this unit must be reviewed as a matter of urgency.
"This young boy should be in an adolescent unit with others of similar age and where all therapeutic activities were geared to his age."
Dr Walsh said the presence of children in Unit 5B caused knock-on effects for other occupants of the ward because in order to contain the children, the hospital had to keep the unit doors locked at all times, thus restricting the freedom of all other patients in the unit.
A spokesman for the health board said last night that the board is acutely concerned and was fully aware of the issues raised by the inspector in his report.
He said the health board did not have its own dedicated facility to provide acute provision for these young people and it was obliged to provide care in the adult 5B unit.
He added: "However, the health board submitted last June a comprehensive project plan to the Department of Health for the development of such a dedicated facility on the campus of the Mid-West Regional Hospital in Limerick."
In relation to the future care of the 15-year-old autistic boy, the spokesman said that the health board does not comment on individual cases.
