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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 17 Dec 1996

Vol. 473 No. 1

Written Answers. - St. Ita's Hospital, Dublin.

Trevor Sargent

Ceist:

115 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Health the guarantees, if any, he can offer the staff and patients at St. Ita's Hospital, Portrane, County Dublin, in relation to the deplorable conditions there; and the plans, if any, he has to close down the hospital as has been suggested by experts who visited the hospital in November 1996. [24495/96]

Limerick East): The Eastern Health Board is responsible for the delivery of health services, including mental health services in Dublin. Acute in-patient beds for those with mental illness in Dublin north city and county, for those with a mental handicap together with services for the elderly are provided by the board on the St. Ita's Hospital campus. A range of other services, out-patient clinics, day hospitals, day care centres, group homes and a vocational and sheltered employment facility, are also provided.

Over the past three years substantial upgrading works have been carried out on the St. Ita's Hospital campus. Between 1994 and 1995 a total of £500,000 was spent on upgrading which included a special capital allocation of £350,000 made available by my Department. In 1996 my Department provided a further £250,000 while the board provided £60,000 from its own resources, which enabled further substantial upgrading to be carried out in all patient care areas throughout the hospital. The bulk of this funding was expended on the upgrading of the accommodation provided for persons with a mental handicap on the campus.
Monitoring of the standards of care provided for patients in psychiatric hospitals is carried out by the inspector of mental hospitals. The inspector carries out annual inspections of all public psychiatric hospitals, including St. Ita's Hospital. In his report for 1995, the publication of which is imminent, the inspector notes the enhancement of the overall appearance of clinical areas and also the improvement in staff morale in the hospital, but acknowledges that further improvements in standards are necessary. The hospital is also visited by members of the Eastern Health Board and is inspected by the Royal College of Psychiatrists and An Bord Altranais.
In the light of the inspector's comments on his most recent visit to the hospital, which are generally complimentary, I do not accept that conditions on the hospital campus are deplorable. I am satisfied with its overall physical condition while recognising that there is still scope for improvement.
The Eastern Health Board has been pursuing a policy of transferring mental health services from institutional settings to general hospitals and community care settings, in line with the recommendations of the report on the development of the mental health services,Planning for the Future 1984, which has been accepted as mental health policy by successive Governments. Funding was recently approved for the refurbishment of accommodation at Beaumont Hospital to enable acute in-patient psychiatric services to be provided at the hospital as soon as possible. It is the board's long-term objective to provide all acute psychiatry for the catchment population at Beaumont Hospital.
My Department has been working closely with the Eastern Health Board to implement the proposals of the board as submitted in 1994 to transfer clients with a mental handicap to community settings, where appropriate, and to improve the accommodation and services available to those clients who need to be cared for in a more structured environment.
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