Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Question 45: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if he will provide an update on the implementation of the mental health strategy [13422/11]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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A Vision for Change contains 200 recommendations to be implemented over a seven to ten-year timeframe. Progress to date includes: the closure of a number of the old psychiatric institutions with ongoing work on the closure of the remaining institutions; a 17% decline in the number of patients resident in psychiatric facilities since 2006; fewer admissions and involuntary admissions; a year-on-year reduction since 2001 in the number of patients readmitted to hospital pointing to an improvement in community-based services; significant improvements in child and adolescent services with more multidisciplinary teams in place throughout the country and an increase in the number of inpatient beds; significant engagement with service users; and improvements in the forensic service.

An independent monitoring group was established to monitor and assess progress on the implementation of the recommendations set out in the report. I look forward to the group's annual report for 2010 which I expect to receive within the next few weeks. This will give an independent update on the current status of implementation and will give us the opportunity to take stock of where we are and identify areas in need of further improvement.

The reform of our mental health services is a priority for the Government. I assure the Deputy that I am fully committed to improving our mental health services, and to driving the implementation of A Vision for Change and the transition from an institutional to a community-based model of care. I am working with officials in my Department as well as the HSE with a view to delivering progress on the reform process in this area as early as possible.

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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Has the Minister of State established how many adult and children mental health teams the HSE has established? Obviously it is an issue on which we would like to get some clarity. An implementation group for A Vision for Change was established to ensure there was ongoing monitoring of the implementation of the 200 recommendations. In addition the Office for Disability and Mental Health was established in 2008. Does the Minister of State intend to allow that office to continue so as to ensure a strong emphasis on mental health and disability?

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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There are approximately 61 multidisciplinary teams which will include child and adolescent services. I am not certain that they are fully functioning. That is something we will need to investigate. While many are fully staffed, not all of them are. We are most concerned about children. Two new purpose-built 20-bed child and adolescent units at Bessborough in Cork and Merlin Park in Galway have been completed. I have visited both of these exceptional facilities. Acute admissions at St. Brendan's in Grangegorman have now ceased. Enabling works are under way on the development of a 54-bed replacement long-stay facility as part of the Grangegorman redevelopment project. We are making progress. Progress in some areas is easier than in others. The community-based services are important, as are multidisciplinary teams, and the child and adolescent service. There are other areas where there is major resistance to closing old institutions. I do not believe there is one person in this establishment who feels that those institutions should continue as they are.

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State's commitment to continue to close the old psychiatric hospitals and to provide community-based facilities. Given the statement of the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Reilly, that he does not agree with the number of primary care teams the HSE claimed it had established, would it not be appropriate to look at whether these adult and child community mental health teams are operational, as they cross over with the primary care teams?

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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The commitment to mental health in the programme for Government is very clear. When an institution is being closed it is closed on an incremental basis. Only in the event of all the community services being in place will that institution close entirely. It is appropriate that people in certain areas - we all know where they are - have that assurance. That will be the practice under this Government. All community services will be in place before institutions are closed. Written Answers follow Adjournment Debate.