Tom Moffatt
Question:78 Dr. Moffatt asked the Minister for Health when he will bring forward his five year plan for mental health. [12487/97]
Written Answers. - Mental Health Plan.
Limerick East): The plan for the development of mental health services is based on the recommendations of the report of the study group on the development of the mental health services — Planning for the Future — which was published in 1984 and which has been accepted as mental health policy by successive Governments.
The report recommended the restructuring of 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 by health boards to replace services previously provided in psychiatric hospitals.
This shift in the provision of services from the traditional institutional-based model of care to a community-based care setting 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. I am committed to the continued development of mental health services in line with this policy.