HSE urged to review plan for mental health facility on Cork hospital grounds

THE HSE has been encouraged to reconsider plans for a 50-bed residential facility on the grounds of St Stephen’s Hospital in Cork.

Social Democrats councillor for East Cork Liam Quaide and Green Party TD for Dublin Central Neasa Hourigan met the recently appointed HSE regional executive officer for the Southwest, DrAndy Phillips, to discuss concerns about mental health services in Cork.

They challenged proposals by the HSE to develop a 50-bed set of residential mental health facilities on the grounds of the Glanmire hospital.

The projected build cost for the new facility is approximately is €64.12m.

The new purpose built facility will consist of five units with 10 single ensuite rooms, divided into households to facilitate resident centred and directed care for services such as older persons, continuing care, and rehabilitation.

Therapy services

The planned facility also provides for a range of therapy services. 

Mr Quaide said St Stephen’s is an isolated hospital campus with very poor connectivity to the nearest village.

“The locating of continuing care and rehabilitation mental health residences on this campus is clearly at odds with the core tenet of community living in ‘A Vision for Change’ and the HSE’s Model of Care for People with Severe and Enduring Mental Illness and Complex Needs,” said Mr Quaide.

He told The Echo that a €64m investment in this large, centralised service on a hospital campus “will necessarily take funding from the development of community mental health residences in towns where currently no such services exist, such as Cobh and Clonakilty”.

“The advantage for the HSE of the St Stephen’s project would appear to be the centralising of continuing-care staffing costs in one location, where clients would be referred from outside as well as within the local HSE Community Mental Health team catchment,”Mr Quaide added.

“However, there are clear disadvantages to the client group in terms of limited community integration, detachment from local supports, and a potential for institutionalised care.”

Mr Quaide and Ms Hourigan asked Dr Phillips to reconsider this St Stephen’s proposal before the HSE submits a planning application on it.