Meet the mental health nurse giving patients back their dignity, one outfit at a time

9Honey Heroes is a series highlighting unsung community heroes, recognising those who have gone above and beyond in helping others and making change

Keith Donnelly was working in a mental health unit in Ireland when he was struck by the fact the facility had no clothing to offer patients on admission to hospital.

"I started training as a mental health nurse when I was 36, back in Dublin," Donnelly tells 9honey.

He was studying while working in a mental health facility when he was sent one day to find a patient in the waiting room.

"I was able to pick him out straight away based on his attire and how dishevelled he looked," he recalls.

"He had nothing else to wear. Only the clothes on his back, and even they were fit for the bin.

"I could tell he was going to be in for a long time and we were chatting afterwards and I said, 'I am not sure how you feel about this, but I have some beautiful clothes in my wardrobe at home that would fit you.'

"I brought them in and I just couldn't believe the change in him. You could just tell he felt confident and his self-esteem had shifted. He had an instant spring in his step."

Both here in Australia and overseas, mental health patients often arrive at hospital with just the clothes on their backs.

They may have been involuntarily admitted under the Mental Health Act, and transported to hospital by police or ambulance officers so have no time to pack a bag.

They may not have family or friends to supply a change of clothes, and many people with mental illnesses lack the finances or ability to look after their personal appearance and hygiene.

Pretty soon, Donnelly was supplying clothes to other patients, and even raiding his wife's cupboard.

In 2016, he emigrated to Sydney, Australia, with his wife and three children and got a job in the mental health intensive care unit at Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick.

Later he became the unit manager of the 46-bed specialised mental health unit, Kiloh Centre, located in the hospital's grounds.

He was shocked to find patients were given white hospital gowns to wear during their sometimes long stays, which he said not only stripped them of dignity but was "stigmatising."

"I was really taken aback that this was happening in Australia. That there was a lack of something so simple," he said.

Donnelly decided to speak to the centre's operations manager about an idea and Keith's Closet was born in 2019.

Now a not-for-profit charity, it started out providing clothing, accessories, toiletries and sanitary items to mental health patients.

The very first Keith's Closet was located in a 3m by 3m room within the Kiloh Centre, which had once been used for something very different.

"It was set up in the 'Seclusion Room,' which is effectively a padded cell," Donnelly said.

Donnelly said the room itself had now been transformed from a place that was "depressing and traumatising" to one that offered hope.

Inside the closet, patients can choose from a large array of items free of charge – something that was important to Donnelly.

"I didn't want to just give them items but give them a choice," he said.

"We really wanted to give them dignity and make them feel comfortable."

The wardrobe itself and new flooring were donated while a former bathroom was transformed into a fitting room where patients can try on clothes in front of the full-length mirror, while artworks and motivational quotes line the walls.

The clothing itself is donated. Some is new and comes from retailers who might donate end-of-season items. Others are donated by members of the public who want to give their high-end clothes a second life.

Patients can choose items to wear while they are in hospital and on discharge to help them re-enter society.

Keith's Closet has supported about 4000 people in the past five years, but it is not just about the clothes, says Donnelly.

"This is not a space to talk about your illness and your medications. This is a way we can show [patients] we really care for you."

Keith's Closet has also expanded. A Keith's Closet at Sydney's St Vincent's Hospital has widened its reach from mental health patients to those affected by drugs and alcohol, and homelessness.

A Keith's Closet will soon open in Shoalhaven south of Sydney while two more are planned for Bankstown in Sydney and Lismore in northern NSW.

In fact, Donnelly hopes to one day see a Keith's Closet in every mental health unit.

He has also started a mobile service and a multi-purpose facility recently opened in Sydney's Alexandria, which is part-warehouse, part-community centre.

His next aim is to start workshops or 'skill shops' to help patients learn skills they need to better transition to life back in the community.

"We are trying to build a pathway. It could be job interviews, CVs, healthy eating," he said.

"They could come to Keith's Closet warehouse for the day, update their wardrobe, have a nice lunch and do two to three hours of skill shops.

"We are helping people with clothes but it's only a short-term fix. Now we are looking at the long-term and what we can do to have a lasting impact on people."

While most funding comes from donations, the charity recently received a $185,000 grant from NSW Health Minister Ryan Park.

NSW Mental Health Minister Rose Jackson is also a fan, having visited the original Keith's Closet and attending the opening of the warehouse.

Donnelly, who still works in the mental health field but has moved from in-patient work to a role as a community mental health case manager, has a simple reason for why he started the charity.

"I am just living the dream to help others. That is what it's all about."