The Minister of Health, Blas Trujilloannounced yesterday, in the Health Commission of the Parliament of the Canary Islands, which the islands of Gran Canaria, Tenerife and Lanzarotand they will have Day hospitals for adults with severe mental disorders. These three new devices will make it possible to guarantee intensive, continuous, comprehensive and multidisciplinary care for these patients, avoiding variability in the circuits and in clinical practices. The measure is contemplated in the Mental Health Plan of the Canary Islands.
Likewise, the head of the Canarian health explained that, during 2022 and 2023, a set of actions will be launched to improve infrastructure and increase human resources for Mental Health. In this sense, and specifically with regard to serious mental disorders, other measures will be taken, such as reinforcing the Mental Health service of the HUC, with the opening of the Brief Internment Unit this semester. In addition, a Home Hospitalization team will be created, dependent on the Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de La Candelaria, which will attend to those seriously ill patients who are likely to need hospital admission due to decompensation of their illness and who, with different supports, can recover in their homes. home.
The initiative will make it possible to offer intensive, continuous and comprehensive care to those affected
Trujillo assured that the objectives of these actions are to improve the integrated network of services for people with severe mental disorders; continue completing the Mental Health Care network for children and adolescents and the development of the care program for boys and girls in a highly vulnerable situation, among others.
In addition, the Minister of Health announced the creation of a Medium Stay Unit in La Palma, aimed at people who, in a situation of prolonged instability, need a longer period of hospitalization.
On the other hand, he reviewed the measures and devices already implemented in recent months. Thus, he recalled that at the beginning of this year La Palma was provided with a home care team, made up of a specialist nurse in Mental Health and a specific social worker and a psychiatrist who travel to homes.
In Gran Canaria, a new Community Mental Health Unit is coming into operation in Tamaraceite and a new one is expected to be set up in Maspalomas and another in the north of the island.
As for child and adolescent mental health care and the care program for children in a highly vulnerable situation, it must be said that a short-term hospitalization unit for children and adolescents will be created in Tenerife.
An Assertive Community Treatment team will also be set up to monitor the pediatric population, which will be able to intervene in their homes or in the supervised flats where these minors are found.
Trujillo also announced the creation of the specific Child and Youth Community Mental Health Unit of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, with full staffing, as well as the development of the Early Care Network of the Canary Islands, with the second units of Tenerife and Gran Canaria and the first in Lanzarote, La Gomera and El Hierro, each equipped with a complete team of professionals.
The Minister of Health announces the creation of a Medium Stay Unit in La Palma
Finally, the counselor recalled that during this year a project will be piloted in the Primary Care network to address common mental pathology in order to carry out preventive work and avoid chronicity. This pilot will initially be carried out with approximately 18 clinical psychologists, something that had already been announced in the framework of the presentation of the Regional Primary Care Project 2022-2023.
It should be noted that the Canary Islands Mental Health Plan 2019-2023 was approved in March 2019, with a budget of 15.3 million euros. Among the basic lines of action are: care for the population with severe mental disorders, care for children and adolescents and the improvement of human and material resources.
