At the 9th Congress of the IPA in 1999 I reported that psychiatry of old age [POA] and recently gained full specialty status in Ireland and that there were 5 consultant posts. The first Irish specialist psychiatric service for elderly people began, ten years earlier, in 1989; initial progress had been slow. It is therefore very encouraging to be able to report that, since then, 14 consultants in POA have been appointed to posts in the public health service. In addition, 2 consultants provide POA services within the private sector. This rapid expansion is to be welcomed. However, a note of caution must be added. Old age psychiatrists are concerned that the development of facilities and teams has not matched the expansion in consultant posts. Indeed there is still marked variability across the country with regard to resource provision and therefore the services that can be delivered. The desired aims for the development of POA in Ireland can be considered at two levels: The first level is to meet minimum accepted standards for the provision of a POA service. The relevant recommendations are published in The Future of Psychiatry in Ireland - A report prepared by the Irish Division of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in January 1998. The second level relates to development of the service in order to meet the Irish government’s key principles of “Equity, Quality of Service, and Accountability”. In conclusion, the expansion in the number of POA posts increasingly allows Irish consultants to emphasise that POA services must be developed to the standards provided in “The Future of Psychiatry in Ireland. While such recommendations can be utilized as a benchmark for the appropriate minimum standard, further development will be necessary so that services can meet the highest possible quality standards within the resources that are available.
Refs:
Swanwick, G. (1999), Postgraduate education in geriatric psychiatry: current status in Ireland. Presented at the 9th Congress of IPA, Vancouver, August 1999 The Royal College of Psychiatrists Irish Division (1998), The future of psychiatry in Ireland. Dublin: The Royal College of Psychiatrists Irish Division
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