Written answers

Wednesday, 25 February 2015

Department of Health

Mental Health Services Provision

Photo of Colm KeaveneyColm Keaveney (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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7. To ask the Minister for Health if reports that the Health Service Executive's 2015 service plan target, to reduce the number of young persons with mental health problems admitted to adult psychiatric units, is unlikely to be met, are accurate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8034/15]

Photo of Kathleen LynchKathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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The HSE National Service Plan 2015 aims to improve placement of children in age appropriate mental health settings. The 95% target indicated in the Plan allows for some flexibility surrounding emergency placements in Adult Units. The corresponding target set in the 2014 Service Plan was 75% or above.

It is generally accepted that it will be most challenging for the HSE to meet the ambitious target for 2015, relative to the 2014 outturn position of around 70% for age appropriate placements. However, progress in this area has been significant over recent years, as evidenced by the fact that the number of such admissions to adult units in 2008 was 247, and that the trend has been declining annually since then to the most recent draft figure of 89 admissions for 2014. Clearly, there remains room for improvement and this issue has therefore been flagged as a Key Priority in this year's Service Plan.

At present, there are 54in-patient beds for children and adolescentsin the HSE. Overall, the HSE is targeting an operational capacity of 74 public Child and Adolescent beds nationally by the end of 2015. It should be noted that difficulties with re-opening some existing beds at local level, already resourced in the system, primarily relates to securing or retaining staff rather than the non-availability of funding.

The HSE has recently refocused various operational initiatives to achieve improvement in this service area in 2015. This includes a set of priority actions to enhance performance and national oversight in relation to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, including reducing admissions of children and adolescents to Adult Units.

I make no apologies for setting an ambitious target in this important area particularly in the context of the increased funding which is being made available for child and adolescent mental health services. I can assure the House that I, and the Department of Health, will continue to closely monitor progress by the HSE on the agreed target for this important initiative over the remainder of the year.

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