Abstract
Aims and MethodThe Irish Psychiatric Association conducted a national survey of psychiatric services in Ireland to examine clinical resources in relation to the relative affluence of catchment areas. A consultant psychiatrist from each catchment area was sent a postal survey form (August 2002) and the data received were cross-referenced with measures of relative affluence.ResultsThere was a 72% response rate. A negative relationship emerged between indices of need and both the number of acute beds and the number of consultant psychiatrists per head of the population.Clinical ImplicationsThe results of this survey indicate that clinical resources in mental health in Ireland are not concentrated in areas of greatest need, but paradoxically have been best developed in areas of greatest affluence.
Highlights
In contrast to the British National Health Service (NHS), where resources are theoretically allocated using an index that assumes that a greater proportion of the total resources for health care should be spent on mental health in more deprived areas, there is no poverty-adjusted resource allocation system in Ireland
For the nine catchment area services for which no form was returned, a more limited analysis of the service was conducted, using information available from government publications. This latter analysis examined basic demographic information in relation to some readily available information on clinical resources, such as number of acute beds per head of population, but no information was available on specialist services for these areas
All the demographic information received was cross-referenced with official government publications
Summary
The Irish Psychiatric Association conducted a national survey of psychiatric services in Ireland to examine clinical resources in relation to the relative affluence of catchment areas. A consultant psychiatrist from each catchment area was sent a postal survey form (August 2002) and the data received were crossreferenced with measures of relative affluence
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