Vol. 461 No. 3
68 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Health if he has satisfied himself with the total number of beds available for psychiatric patients; the concerns, if any, of those working in the service regarding the required number of beds to meet the demands; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2830/96]
Limerick East): Planning for the Future, the report on the development of the psychiatric services published in 1984, recommended a shift in the delivery of mental health care from a predominantly institutional — to a community-based setting. This change in service delivery has vastly improved the quality of life of persons with mental illness. Planning for the Future has been accepted as mental health policy by successive Governments and its recommendations have received unanimous endorsement from all those involved in the care of the mentally ill. Each health board has developed its service plan which incorporates the goals of Planning for the Future.
While recognising that many mental health intervention can be as effectively delivered in a community-based setting, Planning for the Future noted that in a certain number of cases in-patient care is required. It proposed a norm of 0.5/1000 population in-patient places for short-term and medium-term psychiatric patients.
In line with these recommendations there has been a reduction in bed provision nationally, from 3.6/1000 in 1982 to 1.84/1000 in 1993. This has been accompanied by a corresponding increase in the number of community residences places available as illustrated in the following Table 1. The level of bed provision still exceeds that set by Planning for the Future and remains very high by international standards. I am aware of the concern of some professionals regarding bed availability for psychiatric patients. However, I believe the organisation and use of available resources is the issue to be addressed rather than the number of beds.
|
1982 |
1993 |
|
|
Psychiatric beds/1,000 inhabitants |
3.6 |
1.84 |
|
Community residence places per 1,000 inhabitants |
0.13 |
0.73 |
