asked the Minister for Health if he will sanction the spending of £1 million on St. Brendan's Hospital, Dublin as the money is needed for urgent repairs to achieve a reasonable standard of comfort for the patients.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dublin Hospital Repairs.
18.
I have not received any proposals for works costing £1 million at St. Brendan's Hospital, Upper Grangegorman.
St. Brendan's is a huge complex of buildings some over 150 years old. In 1965 the patient population of the hospital exceeded 1,600 and this apart from the age and structure of the buildings created major problems for the development of therapeutic procedures there. The solution to this problem lay and still lies in large measure in the reduction of the patient population and in the development of further psychiatric services in the community. This development has been proceeding. Some years ago the Dublin city and county region was divided into seven catchment areas, each with its own psychiatric team developing acute treatment services, hostels, day hospitals and other community services. Through this rearrangement the patient population at St. Brendan's was reduced to less than 1,100 and a further reduction can be anticipated as the area services continue to develop and expand.
Apart from the major drop in patient numbers at the hospital with consequent improvements for the patients, many innovations and structural changes have been carried out over recent years. These include a new admission unit, lowering of boundary walls, a new geriatric unit, a special unit for alcoholics and various reconstruction work and improvements to catering, sanitary and other facilities at the hospital. Because of the reducing population and the out-dated nature of much of the complex of buildings there must, however, be serious doubts about the wisdom of further substantial expenditure on works at St. Brendan's Hospital.
Undoubtedly there is a need to spend some further resources on improving the living conditions of the long-term patients. But, in my view, emphasis in future spending should lie in the creation outside of St. Brendan's of more facilities such as hostels, group homes, day hospitals and domiciliary services which will serve to ensure a more desirable living environment for the patients. As resources become available this is the approach I intend taking in regard to our mental hospitals in general.
Surely the Minister must have seen the Press reports? Is he saying that there is no request from the Eastern Health Board for capital expenditure on this hospital?
That is right. There is no proposal.
Will the Minister state if any study has been made by his Department into what has happened to the 500 people discharged from St. Brendan's Hospital? We have the "revolving door" syndrome where patients are finding their way back or into prison or hostels in Dublin where they are not provided for. Many of these patients have been institutionalised by the previous system that was in operation and, as a result, they are not able to fend for themselves in outside society. It is not good enough that relatives are under pressure to have these patients discharged without proper care being provided for them and, unfortunately, this is happening at the present time. I would ask the Minister to see that this is not done. We have the situation that money is not being spent on this hospital and the patients are shoved in anywhere away from the hospital for the sole purpose of running down the hospital——
The Deputy should put a brief question.
I will take into consideration what the Deputy has said but I must confess I had not that kind of information about discharges from St. Brendan's.