Reforming mental health key government priority

Reforming mental health and learning disability services is a key priority for government, Health Minister Paul Goggins said today.

Speaking during a visit to Gransha Hospital in Londonderry, he said the hospital has been at the forefront of developing services for people with mental illness and learning disability in Northern Ireland.

The Minister toured the newly refurbished admissions unit and day care unit. The refurbished clinics will provide the base for the new Crisis Resolution Service pending the completion of the new build £10.5 million Crisis Facility. The new facility will include the development of a 24/7 dedicated service for people in psychiatric crisis, a 30-bed acute admissions facility and a 25-place acute day care facility.

Paul Goggins said: “Mental health and learning disability provision has been increasingly under the spotlight of late. Significant challenges lie ahead as we strive to deliver services which properly meet the needs of some of society’s must vulnerable people.

“We are making significant investments in child and adolescent mental health services. The Trust is planning to increase the number of inpatient beds for adolescents from 6 to 8 from 16th April 2007 with a further increase to 12 by this Summer. A new 18-bed unit for adolescents will open in mid-2009 to replace the existing unit at Knockbracken.

“Boards and Trusts are being given an additional £0.5 million to further develop community-based specialist eating disorder services for children and young people. This will complement the services already developed for adults with eating disorders.

“There has been further progress, in particular, current developments in the Bamford Review which sets out a comprehensive range of recommendations to improve services. I recently announced an action plan to move people out of learning disability hospitals and into the community. By 2014 no-one should be using a learning disability hospital as their permanent address while children should be resettled in the community by 2009.”

Turning to the suicide prevention strategy which was published last October, the Minister said that a great deal of work had already taken place in an effort to tackle the growing problem of suicide and self-harm. He said: “A great deal of work has gone into this strategy because we want to get it right. Last week I launched a cross-border advertising campaign which aims to de-stigmatise mental health and promote suicide prevention and awareness.

“We have set up a pilot help line in North and West Belfast which is receiving up to 200 calls every week and a mentoring scheme in Derry for people who self-harm. A Families Forum has also been established, so that those most affected by suicide have a voice in deciding what services are needed.

(JM/SP)