Vol. 481 No. 3
15 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the unsatisfactory accommodation and other facilities at St Ita's, Portrane, County Dublin; if he will make funding available to finance the development plan elaborated by the board; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15904/97]
Monitoring of the standards of care provided for patients in psychiatric hospitals is carried out by the inspector of mental hospitals. The inspector carries out annual inspections of all psychiatric hospitals, including St. Ita's Hospital. In his recently published report for 1995, the inspector notes the enhancement of the overall appearance of clinical areas and the improvement in staff morale in the hospital but acknowledges that further improvement in standards is necessary. In his report for 1996, which will be published shortly, the inspector refers to the continuation of the upgrading and refurbishment of patient facilities. In this regard, a total of £500,000 was spent on upgrading facilities in 1994 and 1995. In 1996 my Department provided a further £250,000, while the board provided £60,000 from its own resources which enables further substantial upgrading to be carried out in all patient care areas throughout the hospital.
The board's current development plans in relation to the St. Ita's Hospital campus provide for the closure of old wards in the main hospital block in line with the reduction in patient numbers in the psychiatric service and mental handicap service. It is envisaged that the main hospital will be closed as a residential facility. This will be facilitated by the provision of purpose-built residential facilities in the community for the mental handicap residents, and the transfer of long-term older psychiatric patients from the main hospital block to more modern accommodation on the hospital campus as vacancies arise.
In March 1997, the board adopted a development plan —St. Ita's Mental Handicap Service Development Programme 1997/1998— which provides for the replacement of the older facilities in the hospital by the commissioning of four community residences and two village complexes providing a total of 85 places in the community. Implementation of the plan is under way with capital funding of £650,000 and revenue funding of £625,000 being made available this year by my Department. This will facilitate 50 places in the community becoming available this year.
