Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

A number of serious issues have been raised in this debate, especially in the remarks of Deputy Naughten. One is the question of the staffing component in the psychiatric unit in Roscommon. I will direct the HSE to respond to him and Deputy Flanagan on that issue. The official position is that the complement is there, despite the fact, as he rightly points out, that there has been a significant increase in the number of people who have left the service. There is an attempt to relocate people who have some knowledge and expertise in this area. I will ask the HSE to reply to the Deputies directly on the appropriateness of having long-term patients within the setting.

That is a problem right across the system, as the Deputy knows. I will ask HSE management to reply to him on that issue also. The question of appropriate settings, particularly in the case of psychiatric units, is very important. We are seeking to minimise the difficulty for people and to have an environment in which patients and their families can have confidence.

Despite the budgetary difficulties faced by every Department, the information available to me indicates that 21 new posts are currently advertised. These additional staff will have expertise in the psychiatry of later life, suicide prevention, community mental health, self-harm and liaison psychiatry. These are the types of professional we need as part and parcel of the service. The additional personnel are being recruited as a result of the additional funding the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, has succeeded in securing in the past 12 months. In circumstances where budgets are being cut across the board, this is one of the few areas where funding has been extended. By allocating these additional moneys, doing things differently, relocating personnel and managing the service in a more effective way, I hope we can get to a better position in a timely and transparent way. I accept that there are issues which must be addressed and will instruct the Health Service Executive to reply directly to the Deputies in that regard.

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