Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The imminent closure of 11 child and adolescent mental health service beds at Linn Dara brings acute mental health provision for those under 18 years to 52 beds, which is just over half of what A Vision for Change recommended over ten years ago. Incidentally, Fianna Fáil abstained on a Sinn Féin motion to provide 24-7 mental health provision.

On Friday, along with my colleague, an Teachta Munster, I visited the department of psychiatry acute inpatient unit in Drogheda. This is a world-class, state-of-the-art facility. I commend everyone, including the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, on bringing it to fruition. The purpose of this unit is to assist citizens from counties Louth and Meath who present with acute mental health problems. They receive treatment and therapy for a short time - usually about two weeks. They are then discharged to the community mental health staff for follow-up care. In Drogheda, the Singleton House facility provides individual patient treatment but there is no day hospital for ongoing treatment and recovery.

A Vision for Change places a strong emphasis on community-based psychiatric services but in north Louth, these are practically non-existent. In Dundalk, the picture is particularly grim. In north Louth, all HSE mental health provision is delivered from a 60-year old building at the Ladywell centre in Louth County Hospital, Dundalk, which the Taoiseach should visit. Against all the odds the mental health providers do great work, but because of issues of damp and lack of suitable space, much of the Ladywell centre is unsuitable. That means there is no child and adolescent mental health provision and no psychiatry of old age in north Louth. After considerable lobbying, additional staff members were allocated to the area, which I welcome, but there is no accommodation for them in Dundalk. Therefore they cannot even be in the place that needs them. Instead patients travel to Ardee or Drogheda, which is totally unacceptable.

There is a long-standing promise of a primary care centre with a facility for community mental health for Dundalk. However, that promise is worthless. There is no start date, no definition and no real commitment. Sometimes this promise is used as an excuse to refuse to upgrade the Ladywell centre. They are stuck in this decrepit building that is not fit for purpose. They are told it cannot be upgraded because a primary care centre is due. There is no definition of when that might be. The choice is quite simple. The Government should deliver the primary care centre for Dundalk as soon as possible or it must upgrade the building at the Ladywell centre.

Louth and Meath have the lowest per capitamental health spend in the State.

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