The model of occupational therapy at St Brigid's has been hailed as best practice in the field of mental health, according to Mr Kavanagh.

"The big criticism of mental health services in Ireland is the lack of activation programmes for patients. The services at St. Brigid's had been lauded by various bodies, and some initiatives were even transferred around the country."

The closures at St Brigid's follow a HSE plan to provide a new East Galway mental health infrastructure. As part of the plan, 317 new posts were created.

However, according to Mr Kavanagh, the HSE has told staff the positions were never officially sanctioned, even though the services were opened and staff had been hired.

"They put it in place and opened the services, but they cut the posts once their budget was cut. Patients were there, availing of the services, and now they have been cut.

"It's horrendous," he added.

The HSE would not comment on the row, but confirmed that it had been referred to the Labour Relations Commission.

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