merrion street

Tony O'Brien, Director General of the HSE, Minister of State for Mental Health Helen McEntee, Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Health Minister Simon Harris at the the announcement of the signing of the contract for the new complex at Portrane

Taoiseach Enda Kenny along with Health Minister Simon Harris and Minister of State for Mental Health, Helen McEntee today announced the signing of the construction contract, for the new multi-million euro National Forensic Mental Health Service (NFMHS) complex, at Portrane in Dublin.

The new 130-bed adult forensic hospital, at St. Ita’s Campus in Portrane, will replace the 94-bed Central Mental Hospital complex at Dundrum.

The complex at Portane will also include a new 30-bed Intensive Care Rehabilitation Unit (ICRU), together with a 10-bed Forensic Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHS) unit. This development fulfills recommendations made in the national mental health policy A Vision for Change and the projected cost is in excess of €160 million. It is envisaged that the new facility will open in early 2020.

Announcing the signing of the construction contract, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said:

This new state-of-the-art hospital, along with all of its associated facilities, will be one of the most modern of its type in Europe. It is a very welcome and long overdue replacement for the Central Mental Hospital at Dundrum. The Victorian CMH building is obviously no longer suitable for 21st century mental healthcare, and in accordance with our national mental health policy, A Vision for Change, a new hospital has been designed on the historic St. Ita’s Campus.

Minister Harris said:

The investment in this key capital project comes in addition to a total provision of over €850m for mental health services in 2017.  It is one of three very significant capital projects in health which are all about building the modern facilities that can deliver the services of the future. Along with the National Children's Hospital and the National Maternity Hospital, this new forensic hospital represents a huge step forward for this country and will help to ensure that our citizens are cared for in the best way possible.

Minister McEntee added:

This project has been a priority for me as Minister and I’m delighted to see it progress to this stage. The perception of an institutional style mental health service, isolated and stigmatised from the rest of the community, is thankfully becoming a thing of the past.  This new complex will provide an environment in which we can deliver a mental service which advocates recovery, for even the most complex mental health cases.