Vol. 566 No. 3
327 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the recommendation made in Amnesty International's report, Mental Illness: the Neglected Quarter, regarding the establishment of a comprehensive and adequately resourced system of personal advocacy for psychiatric in-patients to assist them in vindicating their rights; and if his Department will take steps to bring this about. [12702/03]
The Government has made clear its support of the development of advocacy services in Ireland by its commitment, contained in the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness, to assist initiatives to provide independent advocacy services for people who are involuntarily detained under the provisions of the new Mental Health Act 2001. When the Act is fully operational, the Mental Health Commission will be required to operate a scheme to provide legal aid to patients whose detention is being reviewed by a mental health tribunal, thus providing legal advocacy to patients.
Some groups in the voluntary sector have been providing advocacy services to patients and families of the mentally ill for some time. The expertise of the voluntary agencies in this area will be of great benefit in the further development of such services in the coming years. Some €251,000 was provided by my Department to health boards and voluntary agencies for the development of independent advocacy services in 2002. A further €100,000 was provided in 2003.
Question No. 328 answered with Question No. 295.
329 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the recommendation made in Amnesty International's Report, Mental Illness: the Neglected Quarter regarding the provision of a comprehensive range of therapies, in addition to pharmacotherapy to everyone with mental illness in line with WHO standards; and if his Department will take steps to bring this about. [12704/03]
The predominance of drug treatment in the mental health services was first highlighted by the Inspector of Mental Hospitals in his annual report for 2000, when he commented that it was often the only form of treatment available. There is an increasing desire, however, among professionals and patients alike that supportive and complementary treatments such as psychotherapy should be more widely available. Supportive and general psychotherapeutic skills are now taught in post-graduate psychiatric medical training. Many psychiatric nurses are also trained in various forms of counselling and use these skills in their work with patients.
While traditionally the provision of care was dominated by the doctor-nurse model, it has been recognised for some time that other skills such as those of psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists, etc., are a necessary component of service delivery and that, without them, adequate treatment and management in the broader sense is difficult. Service providers aim to provide mental health services through consultant-led multidisciplinary teams. However, significant recruitment difficulties exist in relation to the paramedical professions at present. Measures are being taken to recruit such staff from outside the mental health services and to increase the number of training places available.
330 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the recommendation made in Amnesty International's report, Mental Illness: the Neglected Quarter regarding the prompt transfer of persons with intellectual disabilities, who are not suffering from serious psychiatric illness and who are still living in psychiatric hospitals, to more appropriate care settings; and if his Department will take steps to bring this about. [12705/03]
332 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Health and Children if his Department will take steps to ensure that inappropriate admissions to mental hospitals by persons suffering from autism through the provision of appropriate, adequately resourced and community based facilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12707/03]
333 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of persons with autism who are currently residing in psychiatric hospitals as long-term in-patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12708/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 330, 332 and 333 together.
I am aware of the recommendations made in the report mentioned by the Deputy. It has been the policy of my Department for some 15 years that persons with autism and those with an intellectual disability should not be admitted to a psychiatric hospital unless they have an underlying psychiatric disorder which cannot be treated elsewhere.
331 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the recommendation made in Amnesty International's report, Mental Illness: the Neglected Quarter regarding immediate action upon all criticisms and recommendations laid out in the report of the Inspector of Mental Hospitals for 2001 and those in earlier reports still pertinent; and if his Department will take steps to bring this about. [12706/03]
Significant advances have been made in this country in the provision of community psychiatry, nursing services, community residences, day hospitals and day centres since the publication of the landmark report, Planning for the Future. In the period 1999-2002, an additional €70.7 million was invested in the mental health services. In the current year, additional revenue funding of €7.6 million will be provided for ongoing improvements in mental health services, to develop and expand community mental health services, to increase child and adolescent services, to expand the old age psychiatry services, to provide liaison psychiatry services in general hospitals and to enhance the support provided to voluntary agencies.
