Ivor Callely
Question:116 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Health the number of people with a mental handicap who are misplaced in psychiatric hospitals for long term care in each health board area; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Mentally Handicapped Patients.
Many persons with a mental handicap were admitted in the past to psychiatric hospitals who would not be admitted to such hospitals today. It is the policy of my Department that persons with mental handicap should not be admitted to psychiatric hospitals unless they have an underlying psychiatric disorder which cannot be treated in any other way. The report of the Review Group on Mental Handicap Services, Needs and Abilities endorses this policy. It recommends that an assessment be carried out of the circumstances and needs of each person with mental handicap in the psychiatric hospitals. If the assessment indicates that the person with mental handicap no longer needs care in psychiatric setting, the report recommends that he or she should transfer to a mental handicap service.
There were 942 people with mental handicap accommodated in public psychiatric hospitals on 31 December 1992. A further 447 people were accommodated in re-designed units associated with these hospitals but which are now part of the mental handicap service.
I would like to inform the Deputy that the transfer of people with mental handicap from a psychiatric to a mental handicap setting is continuing. In 1992, 40 people with mental handicap transferred from St. Mary's Hospital, Castlebar to Aras Attracta, Swinford; 22 people transferred from St. Otteran's Hospital, Waterford to the Brothers of Charity Services in Belmont Park, Waterford and 22 people transferred from unsuitable accommodation in St. Loman's Hospital, Palmerstown to new accommodation in Maynooth.
The development of appropriate programmes and the assessment of the needs of persons still in psychiatric hospitals is ongoing. My Department has appointed an adviser with expertise in the care of people with mental handicap in psychiatric hospitals to work with the health boards and voluntary agencies to further the policy of improving the care of that population.
Where persons with a mental handicap continue to be cared for in psychiatric hospitals, either because they are not suitable for transfer or a transfer cannot be arranged at present, health boards are being encouraged to care for them in separate accommodation and to develop programmes of activity suited to their needs. In some cases health boards, with my Department's agreement, have separated the care of people with mental handicap from the care of mentally ill patients and transferred responsibility for their care to the community care programme, which is responsible for mental handicap services generally in the areas concerned.
The Programme for a Partnership Government includes a commitment to the provision of additional funding to speed up implementation of the report of the Review Group on Mental Handicap Services —"Needs and Abilities".
I am not in a position to give details of developments which might be put in place in 1993 at present as the level of funding which may be made available for such developments will not be decided until budget time.