staff worried teens could die
A staffing crisis at a psychiatric facility for teenagers with severe mental illness got so severe that employees worried it would lead to "serious injury or death", according to damning inspection reports obtained by the Herald.
Inspectors from the Children's Commissioner's office visited the Regional Rangatahi Adolescent Inpatient Service (RRAIS), a 12-bed facility in Porirua, twice in the past year-and-a-half and found a multitude of alarming problems relating to staffing, the physical state of the unit, and the wellbeing of patients.
Their reports, which have not been made public until now, detailed numerous examples of poor design and maintenance – including broken windows, no curtains in the girl's bedrooms, "tired and depressing" decor, numerous ligature points, and broken locks – that made the building unsuitable for highly vulnerable patients experiencing conditions such as psychosis.
Link to video and article: Great Minds: Mental health unit 'chaotic', staff worried teens could die - NZ Herald
