asked the Minister for Health if he is aware of a report which was drawn up by members of the North Eastern Health Board regarding the serious overcrowding in the wards and dayrooms in St. Brigid's Hospital, Ardee, County Louth; if his Department will investigate this matter; and if he will indicate the present situation with regard to overcrowding and lack of space that exists in mental hospitals.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Louth Hospital Accommodation.
9.
The report referred to in the question was not submitted to my Department. In the period 1958 to 1971 (31st December) the number of patients in St. Brigid's Hospital, Ardee, County Louth, had fallen from 420 to 363. The latter figure has since been reduced to 331 (30th June) consequent on the opening of a day centre and hostel at Drogheda and a hostel at Dundalk. The health board hopes to provide additional hostel accommodation and thus reduce the overcrowding problem still further.
As I announced in the course of my speech on the Estimate for my Department, I have recently directed that in the capital building programme, greater emphasis should be placed on the provision of short stay psychiatric units in general hospitals, staffed by specially qualified nurses, which was one of the principal recommendations of the Commission on Mental Illness. Six such units had already been provided and no less than 15 further units will now be provided. Two of these are mentioned in the statement circulated to Deputies while provision for 13 further units has been made but siting and other details have to be investigated before positive decisions can be taken in the case of some of these projects.
Since 1958, when the patient population totalled 20,046, there has been a successive reduction in the patient population of our psychiatric hospitals until at the end of 1971 the total was 14,922.
I am confident that the provision of short stay units will ensure the continuance of this downward trend, and help to reduce the overcrowding which, unfortunately, still persists in some mental hospitals despite the overall reduction of 25.5 per cent in the patient numbers.