MUMN today expressed its disappointment and disapproval that more wards at Mount Carmel Hospital are closing down at the detriment of the patients and the service.

In these last eight years, eight wards were closed down due to non existent maintenance and lack of proper refurbishment, the union said in a statement. Some of these wards were shut more than six years ago and are still closed to this very day. MCH had a change in its CEO but the situation did not change.

This situation is leading to what the union described as a "chaotic mixture" of chronic patients with the acute ones, which is contraindicated in all the psychiatric care across Europe. Moreover, the management frequently encounters great difficulties to find an empty bed for the new admissions, thus resulting in not respecting the dignity of the patients whatsoever.

While other hospitals such as St Vincent de Paule are capable to refurbish a ward in one year, at Mount Carmel Hospital any ward which closes down is never opened again.

More wards are going to close in the coming weeks, the union claimed. In the meantime with all the recently "fake news of investing millions of euros in MCH" (such as the famous €6 million), MUMN claimed that there has been no investment at MCH except for the re-allocation of chronic patients to outside private elderly homes without any expertise in mental health care. 

MUMN said it this situation is demotivating to all the staff in Mount Carmel Hospital.

 

Urgent need to improve conditions of psychiatric hospitalization - Psychologists

The Malta Chamber of Psychologists (MCP) also spoke about the issue. “We stand behind these professionals in their firm belief that people in mental health crises or suffering from severe and chronic mental health issues deserve to receive the treatment they need in a place that offers a sense of safety, dignity, and healing – something that Mount Carmel is unable to do.”

It said that, “there is little doubt that the present-day conditions negatively impact professionals’ wellbeing, which in turn negatively impacts their ability to tend to their patients. A study conducted in 2019 by Dr Patrick Barbara and Dr Aloisia Camilleri, found that one out of six mental health professionals working at Mount Carmel Hospital suffers from burnout. This is alarming, as burned out staff are likely to struggle to offer their clients the care they require.”

“Addressing mental health requires the provision of an environment which transmits both physical and emotional safety. This is only possible, if mental health facilities are able to offer their residents reasonable privacy and comfort. In order to ensure that any new premises will be able to do this, the MCP expects that during their planning and construction professional bodies representing those who will be working in the new premises will be consulted on an ongoing basis.”

“Whilst it is reassuring that the government has declared its full commitment to delivering a new mental health hospital by 2025, the MCP asserts that government has a moral obligation to ensure that conditions are improved for those persons needing hospitalization within the next four years. The MCP therefore expects consultations with stakeholders to take place in the coming weeks to identify how this can be achieved.”

“Unfortunately, at present the reputation of Mount Carmel hospital poses a real deterrent to people in mental health crises and their families to seek the services that they sorely need. In cases of acute self-harm or other severe mental health crises this may be a matter of life and death, where a decision to avoid hospitalization may have a tragic end. Families and individuals facing such desperate situations should be able to seek hospitalization without any hesitation, with absolute confidence that it is the right step towards better mental health. It is time to give these life-saving services the investment and attention they deserve.”

Government reaction

In response to the MUMN's statement, the Deputy Prime Minister's Office said that structural works at the Mt Carmel Hospital have been ongoing for months, as part of the hospital's regeneration plan.

"In the coming weeks, a completely renovated Hall ward will open, The Female Dual Diagnostic Unit, that will cater for 12 patients with mental health problems related to drug use." The ward also includes an external recreation area.

The statement by the Deputy Prime Minister's Office read that extensive work is also ongoing in two other female wards, FW2 u FW7, as well as a whole block, Block 1, within the same hospital. Works are expected to conclude next year. In addition, the statement read that works began on a recreational garden for young patients as well as on a therepeutic garden. This is in addition to continuous maintenance work, the statement read, adding that the works total tens of millions of euros.