Patients sleeping on chair beds in Omagh mental health unit

A SEVERE shortage in the number of beds at the acute mental health unit in Omagh has led to some patients having to sleep on chair beds for periods of up to six weeks, it has emerged.

Talks on addressing the crisis have been taking place between officials from the Western Health Trust and the health union, Unison. Fermanagh and Omagh District Council has now also called for action, after the matter was raised at its monthly meeting.

The Elm and Lime Wards at the Tyrone and Fermanagh Hospital have around 20 permanent beds for people with significant mental health difficulties.

Chair beds are used when these are at full occupancy, which has been happening on an increasingly-regular basis in the past year.

Andy McKane, chair of Unison in Omagh and Fermanagh, called on the Trust to bring into use a number of additional beds currently held in storage and employ more staff.

“What we have been seeing is that the mental health unit in Omagh is going above its 100 per-cent occupancy. The explanation – which is nonsense – is that an incident report form has to be completed once this happens and a chair bed is used, as a way of monitoring the over-occupancy.

“This was meant to be a short-term measure, but the chair beds have now been in use for months. I know of one individual who was required to use one for upwards on six weeks.

“The number of beds needs to be increased and more staff employed. It’s a ridiculous situation to be happening and as chair of Unison I have raised our concerns on a number of occasions already because we are experiencing a real crisis.

“This is a very poor standard of care, and is terrible for both the patients and their relatives. The public deserve better.”

Omagh town Sinn Fein councillor, Anne Marie Fitzgerald, said the mental health unit had been subject to ‘cuts, cuts, cuts, cuts’.

“We have seen patients waiting and being transferred between hospitals.

“Chair-beds are being used and the staff are trying to accommodate these patients even though the unit is away beyond capacity.”

“Patients in the mental health unit are having to try and recover in four-bed wards, when what they need is peace and quiet.

“There is not a councillor or a family locally who has not been affected by a family member who has experienced mental health difficulties and this issue needs to be addressed.”