A RESIDENTIAL REHAB facility that was converted to a Covid-19 isolation unit during the pandemic will not be returned to its intended use after no funding was allocated for its re-establishment in the budget.
The HSE said last year that it would reopen the rehab unit in 2024 as a “dual diagnosis” facility for people with addiction and mental health diagnoses, but has now told Sinn Féin’s Mark Ward that while it is still “endeavouring” to do so, it has “no funding for this project”.
The Keltoi Rehabilitation Unit, located within St Mary’s Hospital in the Phoenix Park, was closed in March 2020 to provide self-isolation facilities for vulnerable groups in the area.
The residential facility treated people for addiction and dual diagnosis, which is when people have both substance abuse issues and a mental health issue such as depression or personality disorders.
Speaking in June 2020 in the weeks following the unit’s closure, then Health Minister Simon Harris said “it is the intention to reopen the services” after the Covid pandemic.
Last February, Sinn Féin’s mental health spokesperson Mark Ward submitted a Parliamentary Question to enquire if the Department would provide an update on the reopening of the service.
Also speaking in the Dáil at the time, Sinn Féin’s Thomas Gould said the move to repurpose the unit was “scandalous” and added:
“This is the closure of a facility by the back door using the cover of Covid.”
Then Minister of State at the Department of Health Frank Feighan said in February 2022 that the HSE “remains committed to the reopening of the Keltoi facility once it is no longer required as part of the Covid-19 response”.
Ward received a response in March 2023 from the HSE which stated that an agreement had been made between Keltoi staff and HSE to reopen the facility in 2024 as a “dual diagnosis centre”.
The HSE said this is “in line with recommendations contained in Sharing the Vision, the National Mental Health Policy for Ireland”.
That policy stated that a “tiered model of integrated service provision for individuals with a dual diagnosis should be developed”.
The letter from last March added that work is ongoing to upgrade the building and that “there is a plan to provide en-suite facilities in each of the bedrooms, which is scheduled to commence in Q1 2024”.
It was noted that these works are required to meet the health and safety standards for residential treatment facilities.
Last November, Ward submitted a further Parliamentary Question about how much the HSE has allocated for the refurbishment of Keltoi, if it had gone to tender, and when it will be reopened.
Minister of State at the Department of Health Hildegarde Naughton noted that some management and administrative grade staff in the HSE had commenced industrial action the month previous and that as a result, there could be a delay in the HSE responding directly.
The response was issued last week, and while the HSE said it continues to “endeavour to establish a National Dual Diagnosis Residential Treatment Unit at the Keltoi facility”, it added that “no funding for this project was allocated in Budget 2024”.
The HSE said the development is “currently at project initiation stage” and that the proposed project budget is €2,070,000.
The HSE also noted that the internal HSE team who were the previous Keltoi counsellors will integrate this into the service when it opens.
The response added that while the HSE sources this funding, it is in discussions to “commence a Dialectical Behavioural Therapy Day Service”.
This is a type of talking therapy that is aimed at helping people with ongoing difficulties in managing intense emotions.
The HSE said this service “will be aimed at addiction service clients who are seeking abstinence from mood altering substances” and that it is planned for this service to begin before the end of May.
Sinn Féin’s Mark Ward today described Keltoi as “one of the very few facilities that provides a service for people with dual diagnosis of mental health and addiction issues”.
He said he was given “assurances” that it would be reopened after the Covid measures had ended and that this has not happened.
“This will be the fifth year that Keltoi will not be in operation,” said Ward.
“Work is ready to go to upgrade the building and there is a plan to provide en-suite facilities in each of the bedrooms.
“This is another false promise by Government. Plans need to be followed up with funding. Dual diagnosis services cannot continue to be left behind by this Government.”
The HSE was contacted for comment.
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