COMPLIANT: Staff at Deer Lodge on St Margaret’s Road were very happy this week to learn that their facility was one hundred percent compliant in a recent inspection report. Pictured were: Louise Fitzgerald, Noreen Fealy, Elizabeth Cronin, Kathleen Ryan, Thomas O'Riordan, Mike O'Leary, Declan Cronin. Chloe O'Shea, Johnny Fisher and Bríd Mulrennan. Photo: Michelle Crean 

By Michelle Crean

A state-of-the-art €13m mental health facility located in Killarney town was this week named in top position with a Waterford centre scoring one hundred percent compliance in a Mental Health Commission report. Published this week, the inspection report said the Deer Lodge Centre on St Margaret’s Road, a purpose-built, residential mental health recovery unit which was officially opened in 2017, increased by 18% over its 2019 inspection, with no non-compliances recorded.

The centre provides mental health care, psychiatry of later life, and mental health rehabilitation, and consists of four households - Mountain View, River View, Wood View and Lake View, which are connected by a central thoroughfare.

There was one condition attached to the registration of the centre at the time of inspection relating to staffing, but the centre was not in breach of the condition and was compliant with the associated regulation.

The report noted that within each of the four households, each resident had their own en suite bedroom with access to a sitting room, dining room, quiet room, kitchenette, and an internal landscaped garden area. The centre was kept in a good state of repair externally and internally and was clean, hygienic, and free from offensive odours.
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Recreational activities included arts and crafts, gardening, newspaper groups and music sessions; community outings in the centre’s own bus; use of an electronic tablet; and cinema, using a projector. Recreational activities were provided on weekdays and weekends.

“The staff at Deerlodge are delighted with the ongoing improvement in compliance with regulations as identified by the mental health commission," Dr Maura Young, Executive Clinical Director, Kerry Mental Health Services, Cork Kerry Community Healthcare, told the Killarney Advertiser.

"This reflects the hard work of staff in ensuring that Deer Lodge delivers the best possible care for residents.
Staff particularly welcome the fact that questionnaires filled out by residents were overwhelmingly positive about their care and treatment, with residents stating that they felt safe and that their privacy was respected.
The care and well-being of our residents is always our priority, and we are glad that residents feel safe and happy in their home.”