Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Gerard Craughwell for his kind words. Let us hope we can do something about the issue of developing disability services over the coming years but also deal with many other issues such as the one the Senator raises today.

I thank the Senator for raising this particular issue because I know he is a passionate advocate for health services but particularly for mental health and disability services. In terms of the details, the hospital campus at St. Stephen's Hospital consists of approximately 114 acres which were developed as a regional sanatorium in the 1950s. It is located approximately 14 miles from Cork University Hospital, CUH, and other hospitals in Cork, and has limited access to public transport services. While some acute hospital services were previously based at St. Stephen's Hospital, those services were relocated to Cork University Hospital when it opened in 1979. The vacated buildings were used to facilitate the closure of Our Lady’s Hospital, with the transfer of mental health services to the campus.

Mental health services currently provided at the campus include an acute mental health unit; four residential mental health units for patients requiring continuing care for enduring mental health conditions; an Alzheimer's unit; and the Child and Adolescents Mental Health Services, CAMHS, north Lee team. In addition, the site at St. Stephen's also accommodates a Tusla residential child care facility, and children’s outreach services. Fostering services general and regional administration accommodation is also located at St. Stephen's, along with some local primary care services.

There has been, and continues to be, a need to carry out significant works to the buildings from which inpatient mental health services are currently provided to enable continued use of these buildings and to meet the standards required by the Mental Health Commission for approved inpatient-residential centres. Further works will also be required to the Alzheimer's unit to ensure its ongoing compliance with HIQA regulations. We have to ensure that all these services are up to both national and international standards.

The existing buildings at St. Stephen's Hospital, in the context of acute hospital services, are substantially to a 1950s standard in terms of the building fabric, the layout, the functionality and the engineering services. These would require major capital investment to allow them be brought into use for patient services. It is a matter for the HSE in the first instance, which has statutory responsibility for the planning and delivery of health and personal social services at local level, including any proposed infrastructural developments, to consider the issue raised by Senator Craughwell, taking account of agreed policy for the development of acute hospitals in the region and evolving service priorities and resource availability overall. I will, of course, bring the Senator's concerns to the attention of the Minister, Deputy Harris.