Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 336: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if she has satisfied herself regarding the adequacy of the community care facilities in the event of recent announcements on the closure of psychiatric hospitals; if the sale of the hospital will have a direct and improving impact on the quality of care for the patients other than the financial benefit to her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3259/06]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 337: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if, in the event of the proposed closure of the psychiatric hospitals, a guarantee will be given that all of the proceeds from any sale will go directly to the provision of community care services for the patients; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3260/06]

Tim O'Malley (Limerick East, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 336 and 337 together.

The report of the expert group on mental health policy, A Vision for Change, was launched on 24 January. This policy envisions an active, flexible and community-based mental health service where the need for hospital admission will be greatly reduced. It will require substantial funding, but there is considerable equity in buildings and lands within the current mental health system, which could be realised to fund this plan. Therefore, this report recommends that steps be taken to bring about the closure of all psychiatric hospitals and to re-invest the resources released by these closures in the mental health service. The closure of large mental hospitals and the move to modern units attached to general hospitals, together with the expansion of community services, has been Government policy since the publication of Planning for the Future in 1984.

In A Vision for Change, a four-stage process is recommended for the closure of the hospitals as follows: to identify measures required to enable admission to cease and put these measures in place, to cease admissions to the hospital and draw up plans for relocation of existing patients, to implement plans for the relocation of existing patients and final closure of the hospital.

The report emphasises that this process should take place on a phased basis with wards closing sequentially. The Health Service Executive has stated that it anticipates the closure of mental hospitals and the reinvestment of the proceeds to take place on a phased basis. It has also emphasised that hospitals can only close when the clinical needs of the remaining patients have been addressed in more appropriate settings such as additional community residences, day hospitals and day centres together with a substantial increase in the number of the well-trained, fully staffed, community-based multidisciplinary community mental health teams as is recommended in A Vision for Change.