Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 191: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the number of patients likely to be discharged from mental hospitals due to the intended closures. [20944/06]

Tim O'Malley (Limerick East, Progressive Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Report of the Expert Group on Mental Health Policy, "A Vision for Change" was launched on 24th January. This policy envisions an active, flexible and community-based mental health service where the need for hospital admission will be greatly reduced. The 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:

Stage 1 — identify measures required to enable admission to cease and put these measures in place;

Stage 2 — cease admissions to the hospital and draw up plans for relocation of existing patients;

Stage 3 — implement plans for the relocation of existing patients; and

Stage 4 — final closure of 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".

According to the census of inpatients in psychiatric hospitals and units there were 12,484 inpatients in 1984. This figure has been significantly reduced to 3,556 inpatients in 2004. The number of patients likely to be discharged from mental health hospitals, either home or to more appropriate treatment settings, will be a matter for clinical decision at the appropriate time and is a matter for the Health Service Executive.