Patients with mental health problems should be granted maximum protection from self-harm, Mental Health Commissioner John Cachia has said.
He was commenting in the wake of a report in Times of Malta which revealed that patients needing constant observation at Mount Carmel Hospital were not always getting it due to staff shortages.
“Level one supervision”, or suicide watch, is prescribed to patients at risk of harming themselves but is often unavailable, according to sources. Continuous one-to-one monitoring is needed to ensure the safety and well-being of such patients.
Dr Cachia, whose role is to safeguard the rights of people suffering from a mental disorder, was asked whether there was an urgent need to address the fact that Level 1 supervision was not always provided.
It is the responsibility of the care provider to provide for identified needs, within available resources
He said the prevention of suicide required regular assessment of risk and the management of any identified risks by the multi-professional team responsible for the patient’s care.
Suicide watch was only one of several measures taken to manage the risk of suicide, he added.
“From a patient rights’ perspective, the Office of the Commissioner for Mental Health insists that persons are treated with dignity at all times while ensuring their maximum protection from self-harm,” he said.
Persons with mental disorders had a right to treatment that holistically addressed their needs through a care plan based on a multidisciplinary approach, he added.
“It is the responsibility of the care provider to provide for identified needs, within available resources.” Dr Cachia was also asked to list the main failings of the mental healthcare system and to say what changes he would like to see to better safeguard the rights of vulnerable people.
The ambience within which care is provided in the forensic ward for inmates was “grossly inappropriate” due to overcrowding, a report by the office pointed out.
An acute psychiatry needed to be developed and rehabilitation psychiatry needed to be revamped.
The building and infrastructure support services at Mount Carmel Hospital needed extensive investment for proper refurbishment. The overall ambience of the wards was “austere and dated”, with some wards in more urgent need of maintenance for leaking roofs and damp walls and some bathrooms needing urgent upgrading.
Wards needed to be re-classified into acute, rehabilitation, residential and chronic (geriatric and medical), reflecting different care needs.
Earlier this week, this newspaper revealed that the single room where a 45-year-old Briton hanged himself in Mount Carmel’s forensic unit contained a CCTV camera, while another camera was positioned in the hallway outside.