Vol. 476 No. 7
108 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Health the services, if any, available to patients with schizophrenia; if his attention has been drawn to any recurring difficulties experienced by schizophrenia patients' families; the submissions, if any, he has received for required improvements to services available to schizophrenic patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7915/97]
Limerick East): As the Deputy will be aware, it has been the policy of successive Governments to restructure the mental health services through the development of services located in the community as an alternative to institutional-based care. Acute psychiatric units at general hospitals, day hospitals, day centres and community residential accommodation are now being provided to replace services previously provided in psychiatric hospitals. This policy has been widely accepted as providing a more comprehensive service for patients and a much improved quality of life for persons who were former patients of psychiatric hospitals.
Persons with mental illness, including those with schizophrenia, are provided with a continuum of care from acute admission through care in the home or in the community. Acute services are provided in a hospital setting. Following recovery from the acute stage of the illness a patient may be discharged to the care of his-her general practitioner in conjunction, where necessary, with a multidisciplinary team. Mental health professionals are available to the families of schizophrenia patients to discuss patient treatment and recovery programmes.
Schizophrenia Ireland, which is a national voluntary organisation established for the purpose of assisting in the alleviation of distress in the families of persons with schizophrenia, receives financial aid from my Department and the health boards in support of its work. In the course of a number of submissions made to the Department in recent years, Schizophrenia Ireland emphasised, inter alia, the need to improve support for schizophrenia patients' families and for the committed improvement in services provided to persons with schizophrenia.
