Land sale to raise €50 million

Health authorities plan to use funds to close Victorian-era hospitals and develop a modern psychiatric service

HEALTH AUTHORITIES plan to raise €50 million from the sale of mental health lands this year which will be used to help develop a modern psychiatric service.

It is part of a wider plan to close 14 Victorian-era psychiatric hospitals and transfer 1,200 patients to more modern community-based facilities within the next three years.

Minister for State with responsibility for mental health, John Moloney, said yesterday that €50 million had been secured from the Department of Finance which would be paid back once the land was sold.

However, if these sales do not raise €50 million, health authorities could end up paying back the shortfall to the Exchequer.

Brian Gilroy, the HSE’s head of estates, said he was confident this figure would be reached, despite the downturn in the property market.

About €15 million had already been made available from the sale of land in recent times which had been returned to the HSE, he said.

There has been widespread criticism over accommodation standards in outdated facilities, with mental health inspectors recently describing them as “inhuman” and “deplorable”.

Numerous pledges have been made by the Government to replace old facilities. The Minister said, however, that he was confident that its aims would be met on this occasion.

“As long as these old facilities continue to admit new patients, people will not have faith in our mental health service,” Mr Moloney said.

“We have the funding available to us now. My priority is to close these old facilities and develop a person-centred, recovery-orientated mental health service, which will improve the lives of people affected by mental illness.”

It is estimated that about 70 per cent of the 1,200 patients will be able to live in supported accommodation in the community. The remainder may need more specialised forms of care.

The closure of these hospitals is one of the aims of A Vision for Change, the Government's 2006 policy for mental health services.

The Government has been heavily criticised for the slow rate of progress in implementing this plan over the past four years.

The Minister said that while there had been justifiable criticism, there had been significant achievements in recent years.

These include a doubling in the number of child and adolescent beds to 30, shorter episodes of inpatient care, the appointment of executive clinical directors across the services and the active involvement of service users.

There are also plans for a major campaign to tackle the stigma which surrounds mental health issues.

The two-year campaign, due to begin next month, will involve celebrities, sports stars and other personalities who will seek to raise awareness of mental health issues and highlight the fact that about one in four people develop a mental health problem at some stage in their life.

LANDS FOR SALE: MENTAL HEALTH PROPERTIES TO BE SOLD OFF THIS YEAR

Kilkenny (20 acres):€10 million.

Clonmel (First phase of 200 acres):€6 million.

Portlaoise (10 acres):€6 million.

Various (Houses, including Castlepollard):€4 million.

Kildare (Tuas Nua, seven acres):€5 million.

Westmeath (St Loman's, six acres):€3.5 million.

Cork (Our Lady's Hospital, 17 acres, first phase):€2 million.

Letterkenny (40 acres, first phase):€4 million.

Enniscorthy (100 acres, first phase):€3 million.

Ballinasloe (110 acres, first phase): €3 million.

Carlow (Kelvin Grove, eight acres):€5 million.

Total:€50.5 million (minus €1 million for cost of sales).

Source:Health Service Executive

Note:The above values are based on agreed sales, recent valuations or, in some cases, 2008 valuations discounted by 40 per cent. Any sites that haven't been valued recently are being revalued.