Health Board Services.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 March 2004

Tuesday, 9 March 2004

Questions (253, 254, 255, 256, 257, 258, 259)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Question:

340 Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health and Children the status of a person (details supplied) in St. Ita’s Psychiatric Hospital, Portrane, County Dublin; if it is intended to move this person to a private nursing home in the near future; if so, if the detrimental effect such a move could have on this person’s health has been taken into account; and if their family have been communicated with and their opinions have been canvassed or taken into account in making such a decision. [7939/04]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Question:

341 Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of older psychiatric patients of St. Ita’s Psychiatric Hospital, Portrane, County Dublin, who have been moved from that institution to private nursing homes in the past year; if his attention has been drawn to an increased mortality rate among such patients; if his attention has further been drawn to the fact that a similar policy of moving elderly long stay patients from public psychiatric hospitals to private institutions in Britain was criticised in a television programme (details supplied) in 2003; and his views on this programme and any other similar reports or studies on the effects of such a distressful event in psychiatric patients’ lives as uprooting them from an institution in which some of them have lived for more than 50 years. [7940/04]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Question:

342 Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health and Children when the policy to move elderly long-stay psychiatric patients in St. Ita’s Psychiatric Hospital, Portrane, County Dublin, from this public institution to reside in private nursing homes, was adopted. [7941/04]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Question:

343 Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health and Children if the wishes of the families of elderly long-stay patients are canvassed prior to moving them from St. Ita’s Psychiatric Hospital, Portrane, County Dublin, to private nursing homes. [7942/04]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Question:

344 Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of the elderly long-stay patients who were moved from St. Ita’s Psychiatric Hospital, Portrane, County Dublin, to private nursing homes and have returned to St. Ita’s in the past year; and the reasons therefor. [7943/04]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Question:

345 Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health and Children if there has been a review of the policy of moving elderly long-stay psychiatric patients from St. Ita’s Psychiatric Hospital, Portrane, County Dublin, to private nursing homes; and if so, the findings of that review and the status of any recommendations. [7944/04]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Mr. T. O’Malley)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 340 to 345, inclusive, together.

Responsibility for the provision of the services referred to by the Deputy rests with the Eastern Regional Health Authority. My Department has therefore asked the regional chief executive to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and reply to him directly.

Mary Upton

Question:

346 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Health and Children if additional caring support can be given to a person (details supplied) in Dublin 12 for the care of their spouse who has Parkinson’s disease. [7948/04]

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Mr. Callely)

The provision of health related services, including home help services, is a matter for the South Western Health Board acting under the aegis of the Eastern Regional Authority. My Department has therefore forwarded the Deputy's question to the chief executive officer, Eastern Regional Health Authority, with a request that he examine the matter and reply direct to the Deputy as a matter of urgency.