Bloomfield Hospital in South Dublin has faced criticism in recent weeks after disturbing findings of an independent report. Photograph: Bryan O’BrienThe Quakers in Ireland are to sell Bloomfield mental health hospital due to the ageing profile of the board and the “shrinking size” of the religious community in Ireland. The hospital, a registered charity which was set up more than 200 years ago, cares for people with enduring mental health diagnoses and neuropsychiatric disorders, including Huntington’s disease, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, dementia and schizophrenia. [ Patients in Dublin mental health hospital left in soiled clothes, slapped and threatenedOpens in new window ]The organisation failed to alert its regulator, the Mental Health Commission, the HSE or Minister for Mental Health Mary Butler to these concerns. In a letter to patient families on November 26th, Joe Kelly, chief executive of the hospital, said the facility was established in 1812 to “address an urgent need in mental health” and since then mental health services have “evolved significantly”.

Source: The Irish Times January 05, 2026 13:32 UTC