Averil Power (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I am disappointed the Minister for Health, Deputy Reilly, is not here as this issue relates to his geographical area. However, I ask the Minister of State to highlight the issues for the Minister on my behalf.

The reason I have tabled this matter is the need to discuss the chaotic situation regarding mental health services in the north Dublin area. This is the result of a major shortage of psychiatric beds, under-staffing and HSE policy regarding psychiatric referral. Currently, there is a huge shortage of psychiatric beds in north Dublin. We have the lowest ratio of psychiatric inpatient beds per head of population in the entire country, with just 13.5 per 100,000 people. The Minister of State may be familiar with the area and be aware there are huge levels of social deprivation in the north Dublin area. Demand is huge and is increasing daily, as it is in other parts of the country, due to the toll the recession is taking on people and the resulting mental health distress they suffer.

As a result of the shortage of beds currently, patients with psychotic disorders have had to wait up to five days in accident and emergency units and medical wards and on trolleys in Beaumont in order to be admitted to hospital and provided with an inpatient bed. This is both a result of the lack of sufficient inpatient beds and of a HSE policy that ensures the only way people can access the inpatient service is to go through accident and emergency units. This is a disaster. Instead of taking referrals straight into the inpatient service, as happened in the past, the policy now is that patients must go through accident and emergency services.

As the Minister of State can imagine how distressing the situation is for people in significant mental distress or who may be suicidal to end up in a chaotic emergency department and to be stuck there for three or four days before they can get the proper mental health service they need. This flies in the face of everything that should be in place. A calm, supportive environment should be in place for patients with mental health problems the minute they try to access services. They should not be put through accident and emergency services. A new centre in Beaumont, the Aisling centre, is due to open later this year, but even when it opens, we will still have the second lowest ratio of inpatient mental health beds in the country. This is unfair, particularly given the demographic make-up of the area and the extent of the need.

I also want to raise another issue I hope the Minister of State will bring to the attention of the Minister, namely the crisis situation that also exists in the community mental health service. I have here a letter that was returned to a GP who tried to refer one of his patients to the psychiatric service in Beaumont. The hospital replied and said that the patient's difficulties were more appropriate to the community mental health team so the GP tried to get a referral through the community mental health service. The response he got was:

I wish to acknowledge receipt of your primary care psychology referral for the following client [gives details] ... Due to the moratorium on staff recruitment in Dublin North-East, we are regrettably unable to accept the above referral or any further primary care psychology referrals until further notice.

The situation now is that the community mental health service in Dublin North is not even accepting referrals into the service, no matter what situation people are in.

That is shocking and frightening, given the level of distress and pressure people are under. I am sure that, like me, the Minister of State, Deputy John Perry, has been visited at his clinics by such persons. It is frightening that a person with a mental health problem who wishes to access the service cannot do so. It is regularly stated people must be encouraged to avail of support when they need it. The people concerned want to avail of the service but cannot access it. There is a crisis.

I hope the Minister of State will indicate that some progress will be made on the issue.