Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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Question 582: To ask the Minister for Health his plans to end the placing of children and young persons in adult psychiatric wards. [19830/11]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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A child should only be admitted as an in-patient to a psychiatric facility as a last resort, and should as far as possible receive the necessary treatment in the community; 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. 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.

In terms of child and adolescent mental health service infrastructure, currently bed capacity is 36, 12 in Dublin, 12 in Cork and 12 in Galway, with a further 16 beds to be commissioned by the end of the year - 8 in Cork and 8 in Galway. 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. It is anticipated that this facility will provide day care and treatment for children and adolescents with mental health needs and will obviate the need for some admissions. It is envisaged that the provision of improved community based services, coupled with an increase in bed capacity, will put an end to the practice of placing children and adolescents in adult psychiatric facilities.