Mental Health Services Provision

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 October 2012

Tuesday, 16 October 2012

Questions (645)

Patrick Nulty

Question:

645. Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 448 of 25 September 2012, which stated that information is not collected by his Department on the type of accommodation to which persons who have been discharged from psychiatric hospitals are discharged; if he will consider instigating a process whereby such information will be collected and collated by his Department on both a retrospective basis and into the future; if not, the reason for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44384/12]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

The information referred to by the Deputy is not collected because for patients who are discharged from acute psychiatric units and who require continuing care and treatment, this is mostly provided in the community through a variety of services including community mental health services, day hospitals, day centres and through home based treatment teams where there is no public accommodation needed or provided. Many other patients requiring mental health services outside the acute setting are accommodated in a variety of low, medium and high support hostels. There are approximately 2,790 beds in those settings. However, the latter groups do not necessarily come from discharges from the acute services.