Mental Health Services for Older People Dublin South Central HSE &
Psychiatry for the Elderly Liaison (PsychEL) Service,
Dept. of Old Age Psychiatry, St. James’s Hospital.
Located in the Martha Whiteway Day Hospital, MISA Building, St James’s Hospital, Dublin 8, D08 NYH1.
We provide comprehensive mental health services to those aged 65 years of age and over who live in the Dublin South Central area. We also provide consultation and liaison services for all older people admitted to St. James’s Hospital or to the continuing care and rehabilitation units for older people which are located within our catchment area.
Our aim is to provide a service which is:
- Comprehensive and person-centred - We provide assessment and treatment in a range of settings including inpatient, day hospital, continuing care, nursing home and in the person’s own home and we take into account all aspects of the person’s needs, circumstances and wishes: physical, psychological and social
- Accessible and responsive - Our goal is that older people with mental health challenges will be assessed in a timely fashion. Our service is flexible and can see patients at home when this is more appropriate to the individual’s needs
- Preventative - We support people in their wish to live in their own homes and to avoid hospitalisation by proactive assessment and management in the community
- Team-based - We manage all aspects of the problem by using the skills and expertise of a multidisciplinary team (MDT)
- Family-based - We provide support and help to family and caregivers as well as to patients
- Evidence-based - We base our management on the best current evidence, and we conduct research to better understand the needs of our patients and the best means of treatment
Services
The Dept. of Old Age Psychiatry service provides both community and hospital services through our multidisciplinary mental health team (MDT). Our MDT includes psychiatrists, nurses, occupational therapists, social workers, psychologists and administration staff.
Our services include:
Community Mental Health Team
The Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) operates from the Martha Whiteway Day Hospital, providing assessment and treatment to patients living in their own homes.
Outpatient Clinics
Patients who require ongoing psychiatric review in a hospital setting can attend outpatient clinics located in the Outpatients Department of St. James’s Hospital.
Martha Whiteway Day Hospital
The Martha Whiteway Day Hospital provides an intensive level of support to individuals who are acutely unwell living in the community. These patients will benefit from a higher level of support than that provided by the outpatient department. Patients will attend on an appointments basis to be seen by members of the multi-disciplinary team.
Inpatient Clinical Care: Conolly Norman Unit (CNU)
The Conolly Norman Unit is a nine-bedded unit on the ground floor of the Jonathan Swift Clinic located in St James’s hospital. Our multidisciplinary team provide acute inpatient care for the Dublin South Central Mental Health Services for older people.
General Hospital and Community Consultation Liaison Service
Psychiatry for the Elderly (PsychEL) provides a consultation liaison service to patients over the age of 65 admitted to St James’s Hospital. We also provide a service to Hollybrook Lodge Nursing home, the Community Rehabilitation Unit in Our Lady’s Hospice, to the Robert Mayne Day Hospital in St. James’s Hospital and to peripheral public rehabilitation and long stay units.
Nursing Home Liaison Service
Our nursing home liaison service provides a service to long term care units located within the Dublin South Central catchment area.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is this service located?
The Department of Old Age Psychiatry (including the CMHT and PsychEL) are based in the Martha Whiteway Day Hospital (MWDH) which can be found on the Ground Floor of Mercer’s Institute for Successful Ageing (MISA) at St. James’s Hospital. The Conolly Norman Unit is located in the Jonathan Swift Clinic, St. James’s Hospital.
How do I get to the hospital?
The 123 and S2 Buses pass through the grounds of St James’s Hospital and stop close to the main hospital entrance. From the City Centre, the 13 123 G1 G2 S2 Buses stop at the James’s Street entrance. The 68 and 68A Buses stop on the South Circular Road close to the Rialto entrance. The Red Line LUAS also stops in the St. James’s Hospital campus. Access to MISA is also possible from Fatima Red Line Luas stop.
Car parking is limited in the hospital. There is an underground public car park in the middle of the hospital campus that is a 5-10 minute walk to Mercer’s Institute for Successful Ageing. Follow the signs from the main hospital concourse to MISA.
Advice for the best transportation options to the hospital: Getting to the hospital (stjames.ie)
What mental health issues are older people vulnerable to?
Older people are vulnerable to the same mental health problems as the general population. The most common conditions seen in this age group include:
- Depression, which has a prevalence of 5 to 40% in the older population
- Anxiety is also common and often co-exists with depression. Psychosis occurs less commonly but is often seen in the context of depression, delirium or dementia
- Delirium is often seen in the context of acute medical illness
- Dementia
What happens in the Martha Whiteway Day Hospital?
We provide person-centred care, using multi-disciplinary assessment and management of mental health problems. We support people who are in crisis or undergoing a relapse.
Activities and interventions are available to match the needs of the patient. This includes group therapy for management of specific mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression or memory difficulties, and skills training to maintain quality of life and independence. Individual therapy, such as bereavement therapy, is also available.
Each patient receives an individually customised care plan, drawn up early in the admission by our multi-disciplinary team, which includes a discharge plan, ensuring that rehabilitation and recovery are the focus of the admission.
Useful Links
Additional information on maintaining mental health:
Referral Information
To be referred to the Old Age Psychiatry Service, your GP or other physicians will need to complete a letter of referral and send it to the below contact details. If an urgent assessment is required, the letter should be emailed and accompanied by a phone call from the GP to the team.
Referrals to Liaison Psychiatry
All consultation liaison referrals are made by the treating teams in the relevant units.
For up to date addresses within our catchment area please visit sectorsearch.ie
Relevant Contact Details
Address for postal referrals:
Old Age Psychiatry Service
Mercer’s Institute for Successful Ageing MISA,
St. James’s Hospital
James Street
Dublin 8,
D08 NHY1
Phone: 01 410 3186
Fax: 01 410 3052
Email: mentalhealthcn@stjames.ie
About Us - Members of the Multidisciplinary Team (MDT)
Administration
Clerical Officers
Medics
Consultant Old Age Psychiatrists
Senior Registrars and Non-Consultant Hospital Doctors (NCHD’s)
Martha Whiteway Day Hospital
Clinical Nurse Manager 2
Staff Nurses
Community Mental Health Nurses
Community Mental Health Nurses
Clinical Nurse Specialists
Conolly Norman Unit
Clinical Nurse Manager 2
Staff Nurses
Healthcare Assistants
Mental Health Social Work
Senior Mental Health Social Worker
Occupational Therapy
Senior Occupational Therapists
Psychology
Senior Clinical Psychologist
PsychEL
Advanced Nurse Practitioner
Clinical Nurse Specialists
Nursing Homes
Clinical Nurse Specialist
