asked the Minister for Health if he will make a statement on the serious public criticisms made recently about the conditions of Our Lady's Hospital, Cork; if he is aware of the statements (details supplied) of the clinical director of psychiatry of the Eastern Health Board and of the chairman of the Psychiatrists Group of the IMA that this hospital is a human warehouse containing hundreds of forgotten souls in conditions which could be described as anti-therapeutic; and if he will state the number of patients in each ward, the number of professional staff employed and the current proposals, if any, to radically improve the position.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Our Lady's Hospital, Cork.
1.
I have seen Press reports of the statements made by the psychiatrist referred to. I presume the other main criticism the Deputy has in mind was that made by the Reverend Director of the UCC Education Centre in Limerick.
May I say that I deplore these sensational and grossly exaggerated statements which give a distorted picture of the situation, probably cause considerable distress and worry to the relatives and friends of patients in mental hospitals, discourage people from seeking early treatment and do nothing to advance the cause of psychiatry—on the contrary, bring psychiatry into disrepute. In addition, they inhibit the recruitment of new staff and are demoralising to the existing staff.
The primary responsibility for conditions in Our Lady's Hospital now rests with the Southern Health Board —it rested with Cork Health Authority until the 1st instant. The statement made, if they gave a fair picture of the position, would constitute a most serious reflection on these authorities and their staffs, on a most active local Mental Welfare Association and, of course, on me as Minister. I presume however, that the Deputy has seen the statement made on 19th instant by the Chief Executive Officer of the Southern Health Board, who was formerly Manager to Cork Health Authority. This statement puts the criticisms into reasonable perspective.
The main attack made was on St. Kevin's Unit. It was, of course, safe to criticise conditions in this unit as it had already been accepted by Cork Health Authority, long before these criticisms were made, that considerable improvements in this unit were necessary. Final plans for these improvements were approved by me in May, 1970, and the present position is that tenders for work costing £200,000 have been accepted and the contractors are actually on the site. No mention of these and other improvements was made in the criticisms.
Apart from the reconstruction of St. Kevin's Unit a new admission and treatment unit was provided at Our Lady's Hospital in 1962. St. Brigid's Unit was reconstructed in 1968 and a scheme costing £80,000 is nearing completion on St. Patrick's and St. Ita's buildings.
In addition to these works an acute psychiatric treatment unit was opened at Skibbereen a few years back. Use has been made of Sarsfield Court since 1969 and three units catering for about 100 patients are at present in use there. A new Chair of Psychiatry has been created in University College, Cork, and, pending the provision of the new professorial psychiatric unit, which is part of the plans for the new Regional Hospital in Cork, the new Professor, who will also hold the office of Clinical Director in the psychiatric services of the Southern Health Board, has been allocated a unit at Sarsfield Court. These developments are to permit the provision of more active treatments so that the numbers requiring long-term care will be considerably reduced.
Details regarding the number of patients in each ward and regarding the professional staff employed at Our Lady's Hospital are in the form of a tabular statement which, with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to circulate with the Official Report.
Following is the statement:—
NUMBERS of patients in wards at Our Lady's Hospital, Cork, on 31st March, 1971.
|
Female |
Number of Patients |
|
St. Ita's Ward No. 1 |
61 |
|
,,,,,,,,2 |
13 |
|
,,,,,,,,2A |
39 |
|
,,,,,,,,3 |
66 |
|
,,,,,,,,4 |
42 |
|
,,,,,,,,4A |
42 |
|
,,,,,,,,5 |
43 |
|
,,,,,,,,5A |
42 |
|
,,,,,,,,6 |
44 |
|
,,,,,,,,6A |
29 |
|
,,,,,,,,8 |
40 |
|
,,,,,,,,9 |
45 |
|
St Dympna's |
52 |
|
St. Anne's |
28 |
|
St. Brigid's No. 10 |
43 |
|
,,,,,,11 |
40 |
|
Total |
669 |
|
Male |
Number of Patients |
|
St. Kevin's Ward No. 1 |
48 |
|
,,,,,,,,2 |
33 |
|
,,,,,,,,3 |
58 |
|
,,,,,,,,4 |
56 |
|
,,,,,,,,5 |
60 |
|
,,,,,,,,6 |
58 |
|
,,,,,,,,7 |
55 |
|
,,,,,,,,8 |
55 |
|
St. Patrick's ,,,,1A |
33 |
|
,,,,,,,,2 |
29 |
|
,,,,,,,,3 |
28 |
|
,,,,,,,,4 |
31 |
|
3XA |
30 |
|
3XB |
38 |
|
7 |
54 |
|
4XA |
35 |
|
4XB |
31 |
|
St. John's ,,,, A |
37 |
|
,,,,,,,, B |
47 |
|
St. Anne's |
19 |
|
835 |
A staff of 16 doctors, including 8 qualified psychiatrists, and team of 450 nurses are employed at Our Lady's Hospital. In addition there are three qualified occupational therapists employed on a full time basis and two on a part-time basis.
Is it not a fact that the charge was that the conditions in this human warehouse were anti-therapeutic and that these conditions are found in many similar hospitals throughout Ireland? Is it not true that recommendations for the improvement of conditions in these hospitals were made as far back as 1966, that the staff-patient ratio in a number of these hospitals has not changed appreciably and that the paramedical staff essential for serious therapy in a hospital of this kind have not been recruited? The morale of the nursing staff in this particular hospital in Cork is very low; and the Minister is aware of this fact because they have made it clear to him. It is a fact that these institutions are so organised that many people are living in what are, in effect, benevolent jails with indeterminate and sometimes life sentences, where no crime whatever has been committed. In these circumstances, is the Minister and his Department not thoroughly ashamed of the fact that there are so many of these enormous institutions in which unfortunate people are held prisoner, frequently for life?
The Deputy is exaggerating. The Deputy knows that I have honestly admitted that there must be steady, slow improvement in the mental hospital services. Many of the mental hospital buildings have been improved, others still require improvement. I am not going to promise that we can get all the mental hospital buildings put right in one year. With all the medical and health demands made on me as Minister, I must allocate the available resources.
Is it not a fact that the present Government have had at least 30 years in which to deal with this and many other similar problems in the Department of Health? They have shown nothing but complete complacency in regard to this appalling problem of the people who are kept in these hospitals for so long. No serious remedial action has been taken by anyone to do something about this matter. The report, with its recommendations, came out in 1966. It is now 1971 and the Minister is still promising us reforms.
The reforms are taking place. If the Deputy wishes to ask a question about what improvements have been made in the total mental hospital services, it will have to be a written question because I could not put it down. It would be too long to reply to since the report on mental illness was published and even before then.
Can the Minister explain why progress must be slow?
Because it costs money and it involves staff and organisation. If the Deputy thinks that his party could do what no other country in the world has been able to do, to put the whole mental treatment system right in two or three years, he is making a big mistake.
The Government have had 30 years.
I would draw the Deputy's attention to conditions in other countries. Conditions in our country are far superior to those obtaining in many countries.
What about Sweden?
I am calling Question No. 2.