Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Devine for raising this matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Health who, unfortunately, cannot be with us.

The Central Mental Hospital in Dundrum has a current bed complement of 93. All of these beds are operational. It is a priority under the HSE's service plan for 2017 to increase bed capacity at the hospital. An additional ten beds to accommodate patients awaiting admission under section 21(2) of the Mental Health Act 2001 are due to be commissioned shortly, which will increase capacity to 103 beds. The additional beds remain unopened pending agreement between the executive and the relevant unions on issues that have been through a process at the Workplace Relations Commission. I understand that these are likely to be referred to the Labour Relations Commission for adjudication. At this point, it is not possible to give a precise date for the additional beds to open. The executive is continuing efforts to open them in the autumn. I urge all involved with this process to work together to open these beds as quickly as possible.

It has been accepted generally for some time that there are serious bed capacity pressures at the Central Mental Hospital. It is on this basis that the HSE prioritised the opening of more beds. The management of those requiring admission is being prioritised on the basis of assessed clinical need. The provision of new facilities, or other non-capital initiatives, to enhance forensic mental health provision nationally is core to modernising mental health services in line with A Vision for Change. To date, significant ring-fenced funding has been provided to improve all aspects of mental health care, including prioritising the replacement of the Central Mental Hospital. This has resulted in a total funding of just over €850,000 to the HSE for mental health for this year.

Following the signing of a contract on 1 June, construction of a new 170-bed national forensic mental health complex at Portrane recently began. This facility will replace the Central Mental Hospital in Dundrum. It will also include dedicated components for mental health and intellectual disability, a forensic child and adolescent mental health service, CAMHS, and a new 30-bed intensive care rehabilitation unit. The new national facility will provide psychiatric care in a modern and high-quality setting that rivals the best available elsewhere.

A core approach is developing the concept of recovery, wherever possible, in delivering mental health services - whether in community or residential settings - into the future. The operation of the additional beds at the Central Mental Hospital in Dundrum will assist towards this objective. It will relieve the acknowledged pressures on the existing forensic mental health and judicial systems. It also paves the way to opening the new facilities in early 2020. The Senator may rest assured that I will keep this matter under close review with the HSE or that I will refer the issues to the Minister, Deputy Harris, in order that all of the parties involved in the current process reach agreement as quickly as possible in the interests of those that require this key service.