Central Mental Hospital

The front entrance and high stone walls of the Central Mental Hospital

The Central Mental Hospital (Irish: Príomh-Ospidéal Meabhar-Ghalar) is a mental health facility housing forensic patients in Dundrum, Dublin, Ireland. It is, along with a community day centre for out patients at Ushers Island, part of the National Forensic Mental Health Service. This service is in turn part of the Irish prison system providing psychology, therapy, social work, medicine and nursing. The central hospital itself contains 84 patient beds.[1]

History

Central Criminal Lunatic Asylum for Ireland, 1850

The hospital began in 1850 as Central Criminal Lunatic Asylum for Ireland and was the first secure hospital in Europe. This was an early move of an ideological initiative throughout Britain and its colonies which included the building of the infamous Broadmoor Hospital in England.[2] The site was originally chosen to be soothing to mental health patients and was intentionally not linked to any particular prison service to maintain distinction between criminality and illness.[3]

New plans are drawn for a relocation site in Portrane, to fully replace the hospital by 2019, but planning application has not been readied for submission to An Bord Pleanala (as of November 2014).[2] The new facility is proposed for the site of St Ita's Hospital, a former asylum now a medical facility for patients with intellectual disability. It would have 170 bedroom capacity including rehabilitation and child facilities, and will create 1,100 new jobs, drawing from a budget of €90 million granted in 2012. The government reports that building will start by the end of 2015 pending approval of the planning commission.[4]

Previously a new site was planned for Thornton Hall, St Margarets, County Dublin, beside a proposed relocation for the Mountjoy Prison. This relocation was a matter of controversy among family support groups.[3]

Modern service

The hospital provides treatment in high, low, and medium security conditions. Patients are referred by the courts, the prisons and local hospitals for both assessment and residential treatment. The site is fully accredited by the Royal College of Psychiatrists for training purposes and provides intensive psychiatric treatment and rehabilitation. However, demand is greater than supply.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ National Forensic Mental Health Service, Central Mental Hospital website
  2. 1 2 History Central Mental Hospital Carers, a group of patient relatives
  3. 1 2 3 Hospital or Prison? What Future for the Central Mental Hospital? workingnotes.ie
  4. ↑ Building of new Central Mental Hospital in Portrane may begin next year Thejournal.ie

Coordinates: 53°18′00″N 6°14′31″W / 53.300°N 6.242°W / 53.300; -6.242

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