Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 30 Mar 1999

Vol. 502 No. 6

Written Answers. - Psychiatric Services.

Richard Bruton

Ceist:

223 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of residential places in the psychiatric service in each of the years 1980, 1990 and 1999; the number of people in psychiatric care being supported in the community in each of the years 1980, 1990 and 1999; the number of people who have had to be re-admitted to acute care from placements in a supported environment in the community; and his views on whether this level of re-admission gives rise to concern that some unsuitable people may be placed in community settings where residential support would be more appropriate. [9106/99]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen)

Some of the statistical information requested by the Deputy is not readily available. The following table gives details of the number of residential places in the psychiatric services and the number of people being supported by community psychiatric services in the years 1984, 1990 and 1997.

Residential Places in the Psychiatric Service.

1984	121 community residences	900 places
1990	292 community residences	2,081 places
1997	391 community residences	2,878 places

People in Psychiatric Care being Supported in the

Community.

1984	32 day hospitals and day centres	800 places
1990	97 day hospitals and day centres	2,424 places
1997	171 day hospitals and day centres	3,882 places

The most recent published data relating to levels of patient re-admissions to acute care is available in the publication Activities of Irish Psychiatric Services, 1996, published by the Health Research Board. In 1996 a total of 19,526 persons were re-admitted to acute in-patient care; a breakdown of the number re-admitted from placements in a supported environment in the community is not available. As the Deputy will appreciate, persons discharged from psychiatric hospital frequently suffer a deterioration or relapse in their mental condition, particularly in the case of serious mental illness such as schizophrenia. Re-admission to hospital is often necessary when such relapses occur. However, there is no evidence that the rate of re-admission from community residences is greater than that from other sources.