In October 1993, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital opened its first ever psychiatric unit in Ward C4- a mixed-sex, 8 bed short-stay ward. Admission to the ward is on a voluntary basis. Ward C4 was significantly extended between 1995 and 1996 with funds bequeathed into the care of Dr George Mahy (Head of the Department of Psychiatry from 1993-2005) by the relatives of the late Dr Patrick Smith, a former Consultant Psychiatrist at The Psychiatric Hospital for a number of years.
The Department of Psychiatry serves an important consultation-liaison function for the QEH and a major role in the delivery of community-based mental health services by providing acute care beds (2245 admissions for the period 1994-2005) and Out-patient services (28,744 Out-patient clinic visits for the period 1994-2005).
Services provided by the department:
- In-patient and day hospital care for patients requiring acute care.
- Outpatient services.
- 24 hours emergency and consultation services to the QEH and affiliates
- Consultation-liaison services for other hospital departments.
- Some neuropsychiatric services.
- Participation in critical incident and occupational stress management for hospital staff, other health care professionals and, in some instances, for the broader community.
- Participation in education programmes for health and allied personnel and for the broader community.