Written answers

Tuesday, 27 September 2011

Department of Health

Mental Health Services

9:00 pm

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 486: To ask the Minister for Health the full extent and availability of child psychiatric services throughout the country; the extent to which out of hours services are available; the degree to which such services are deficient; his plans to address any such issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26319/11]

Photo of Kathleen LynchKathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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A Vision for Change identified mental health services for children and young people as a priority area for development. The HSE has therefore placed a particular emphasis on developing child and adolescent mental health teams, improving inpatient access and addressing waiting times for assessment and progress has been made in recent years. The Government is committed to reforming our model of healthcare delivery so that more care is delivered in the community; access to modern mental health services in the community will therefore be significantly improved. It is proposed to ringfence €35m annually from within the health budget to develop community mental health teams and services to ensure early access to more appropriate services for both adults and children. There are now 61 multidisciplinary Child and Adolescent Mental Health teams nationally and further teams will be developed in line with the recommendations of A Vision for Change .

In terms of child and adolescent mental health infrastructure, two new purpose built units opened earlier this year at Bessboro, Cork and Merlin Park, Galway, increasing the total bed capacity to 36 beds, with a further increase to 52 beds expected before the end of 2011. It is also proposed to provide further beds in the Dublin region and, in this regard, work is due to commence later this year on the second phase of the Child and Adolescent Unit at St. Vincent's Hospital, Fairview which will increase capacity from 6 to 12 beds, and on the development of an 8 bedded facility at St Loman's, Palmerstown. In addition, work on the Linn Dara Child and Adolescent Mental Health Day Facility in Cherry Orchard, Dublin is close to completion.

Where an emergency situation arises for a young person, an assessment is arranged within 24 hours. Recent cases have arisen where there have been difficulties for some individuals under 18 years in accessing a psychiatric assessment. The Executive Clinical Directors have considered the issue and have committed to ensuring that in all such cases, an immediate assessment will be provided by the general adult mental health service in the catchment area.

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 487: To ask the Minister for Health the extent to which adequate resources are available to provide the necessary services when there is suspicion of self-harm or injury; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26320/11]

Photo of Kathleen LynchKathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Where there is suspicion of self harm or injury the most appropriate course is to advise the individual to seek help from their GP, who can then make a referral to other services such as the mental health or addiction service, if the self harm is drug or alcohol related. In an emergency the individuals should be referred or taken to the nearest hospital emergency department for a medical assessment, treatment and if necessary referral to other services. The HSE Clinical Care national lead on mental health is working with key stakeholders to develop a uniform approach to self harm assessments in emergency departments so that all those who present will receive the most appropriate care and treatment. In addition a pilot project is now underway in the Cork Hospital Group to train all appropriate clinical staff in self harm/suicide management and it is planned that in due course this will be rolled-out to other hospitals.

The HSE National Office for Suicide Prevention has funded a number of community SCAN (Suicide Community Assessment Nurses) who work directly with primary care to avoid admission to hospital. These projects are currently being evaluated. A number of voluntary organisations also provide services to those who self harm.

Dealing with the current high levels of suicide and deliberate self harm is a priority for this Government. The total funding available nationally through the HSE for suicide prevention is about €9 million of which €4.2 million is available to the National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP) and approximately €5 million is available regionally to fund Resource Officers for Suicide Prevention, Self-Harm Liaison Nurses in Hospital Emergency Departments and local suicide prevention initiatives including crisis awareness groups. The funding provided in this area this year includes a special allocation of €1 million specifically to target initiatives to address the increasing incidence of suicide and deliberate self harm.

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