St Catherine's Ward is a 21 bed facility with 17 residents on the grounds of St Finbarr's Hospital in the city.
The centre was rated 'critical' for therapeutic services, privacy and staffing.
The inspection between April 13th and 16th last also found that residents were not allowed to access their bedrooms from early morning until 9:30pm, resulting in residents being forced to sleep in chairs when they were tired.
Management at the ward responded to the report by providing evidence that it had taken the appropriate remedial action including assurances about what the report describes as the 'unacceptable' practise of locking bedrooms.
