Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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86. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to support the introduction of intensive care rehabilitation units to provide appropriate care for mental health patients who present a greater challenge and are unsuited to the existing acute setting. [13722/16]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The provision of new facilities, or other non-capital initiatives, to enhance forensic mental health provision nationally is core to modernising mental health services in line with A Vision for Change. To-date, some €160m ring-fenced funding has been provided since 2012 to improve all aspects of mental health care, including prioritising Phase 1 of a major new infrastructural development at Portrane to replace the existing Central Mental Hospital (CMH) at Dundrum.

Intensive work has taken place in recent times by the HSE in relation to the detailed planning and design associated with the new capital projects for the National Forensic Mental Health Service. This multi-million project is being delivered in two Phases.

Phase One comprises the following core project requirements at St. Ita’s, Portrane:

-120-bed National Forensic Hospital (to replace the CMH);

- New 10-bed Mental Health Intellectual Disability Forensic Unit;

- New 10-bed Child and Adolescent Mental Health Forensic Unit.

Enabling works recently commenced on site at Portrane, with a view to starting construction on the main works later this year. It is intended to complete construction in late 2018, and to have the modern new facility operational around mid 2019, when associated equipping and staffing resource issues are finalised.

Phase Two involves the provision of three 30 bed Intensive Care Rehabilitation Units (ICRUs) to be located at Portrane, Galway and Cork envisaged upon completion of Phase 1 of the project. A fourth ICRU is intended for Mullingar, if conversion plans for an existing facility prove feasible. The existing HSE Capital Programme allows for completion of Phase I of the project (i.e. the Portrane facilities), with Design Work onlyto be progressed on Phase II. The Department of Health, and the HSE, will continue to progress as appropriate the ICRU initiatives, in the context of evolving service priorities and resource availability.