Vol. 557 No. 6
48 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Health and Children the steps being taken to address the situation described in the report of the Inspector of Mental Hospitals which found that hundreds of patients are being held in mental hospitals, not because they are mentally ill, but because they are old or homeless and have nowhere else to go; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22908/02]
Substantial progress has been made in recent years in developing alternatives to hospitalisation within the mental health services. Health boards have developed, and are continuing to develop, a modern comprehensive community based mental health service. This has resulted in a continuing decline in the number of in-patients with a corresponding increase in the range of care facilities based in the community to complement in-patient services. At 31 December 2001 there were 4,256 patients in psychiatric hospitals and units compared to 12,484 in December 1984.
It is the Government's intention to continue the growth in alternatives to hospitalisation with the further development of community based services throughout the country. Additional revenue funding of €10.473 or £8.248 million was allocated in 2002 towards the further development of community based mental health services primarily for the establishment of additional multidisciplinary teams and the recruitment of additional staff to strengthen existing services. Considerable progress has also been made in providing additional community based residential accommodation. There are now over 400 community residences. Securing local authority housing for persons suffering from the disablement of psychiatric illness remains a difficulty in some locations. However, the health boards and the efforts of voluntary housing agencies continue to improve this situation through the provision of community residential accommodation.
It is worth noting that while the inspector acknowledges that the continued residence in long-stay psychiatric hospitals of many elderly persons is neither appropriate nor best suited to their needs, he accepts that they are well cared for.
