Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 26 Mar 1992

Vol. 417 No. 7

Written Answers. - Accommodation for Mentally Hanidcapped.

Pádraic McCormack

Ceist:

80 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for Health if he will outline the reduction in the number of patients with a mental handicap accommodated in psychiatric hospitals which was achieved during 1991 as a result of his policy of transferring such patients to more appropriate settings.

Minister for Health (Dr. O'Connell)

Unfortunately in the past many persons with a mental handicap were admitted to psychiatric hospitals. It is now the policy of my Department that persons with mental handicap should not be admitted to psychiatric hospitals unless they have an underlying psychiatric disorder which cannot be treated in any other way. The report of the Review Group on Mental Handicap Services, endorses this policy. It recommends that an assessment be carried out of the circumstances and needs of each person with mental handicap in a psychiatric hospital. If the assessment indicates that it would be inappropriate to transfer the person, he or she will continue to be cared for in the psychiatric services in dedicated accommodation in as homely an environment as possible. If the assessment indicates that the person with mental handicap no longer needs care in a psychiatric setting, the report recommends that he or she should transfer to a mental handicap service.

There were 1,495 people with mental handicap accommodated in public psychiatric hospitals on 31 December 1990. A further 310 people were accommodated in designated units associated with these hospitals but which are now part of the mental handicap service.

While very few people with a mental handicap were transferred from a psychiatric to a mental handicap setting in 1991, the development of appropriate programmes and the assessment of the needs of these persons continued. My Department has appointed an adviser with expertise in the care of people with mental handicap in pyschiatric hospitals to work with the health boards and voluntary agencies to further the policy of improving the care of that population. In 1992 it is expected that up to 75 people for whom it is considered appropriate will transfer from psychiatric hospitals to a mental handicap service.

In general I would point out that where persons with a mental handicap continue to be cared for in psychiatric hospitals, either because they are not suitable for a transfer or a transfer cannot be arranged at present health boards are being encouraged to care for them in separate accommodation and to develop programmes of activity suited to their needs. In some cases health boards, with my Department's agreement, have separated their care from the rest of the hospital and transferred responsibility for their care to the community care programme, which is responsible for mental handicap services generally in the areas concerned.