Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 May 2013
103. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Health in relation to the filling of the 414 posts for community mental health services committed to in the Health Service Executive National Service Plan 2012, the number of these positions that have been filled by existing HSE staff members; the position regarding the back-filling of the positions these staff members have vacated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22569/13]
View answer585. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Health if he will outline the progress being made in appointing new staff for community mental health services in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22191/13]
View answer587. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Health if there were delays in spending the budget allocated for community health services in 2012; if every effort will be made to ensure that the same delays are not experienced in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22193/13]
View answer600. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health if the additional staff funded in 2013 for mental health services have been recruited yet; if not, at what stage is their recruitment; and if the full funding for this project will be spent in 2013 [22270/13]
View answer601. Deputy Joanna Tuffy asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the promised additional community mental health staff; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22272/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 103, 585, 587, 600 and 601 together.
In 2012, a special allocation of €35m was provided for mental health to be used primarily to further strengthen Community Mental Health Teams in both adult and children’s mental health services, to advance activities in the area of suicide prevention, to initiate the provision of psychological and counselling services in primary care, and to facilitate the transfer of mental health service users from institutional to community based care. 414 posts were approved to implement this €35m package of special measures.
Candidates for these new posts were asked on application to include details of their current employer. However, at the appointment stage this data may not be current and cannot be validated. Accordingly, it is not possible to indicate the number of the successful candidates who were already employed by the HSE.
It is currently the responsibility of the HSE Regional Directors of Operations (RDO) to decide within the context of their current resources, whether to fill vacancies that may arise as a result of the appointment of an individual to the mental health development posts from 2012. Each RDO has been asked to consider favourably the backfilling of posts vacated by the appointment of individuals to new mental health development posts to ensure that the objective of enhancing General Adult and Child and Adolescent Community Mental Health Teams will be maintained.
As at 30th April, 2013, 383 of the 414 posts approved in 2012 have either been filled, are under offer or awaiting clearance. The National Recruitment Service (NRS) of the HSE creates national panels in anticipation of vacancies. On occasion however, it is difficult to fill some posts for various reasons including geographical location, international shortage of some grades, most notably clinical Psychologists etc. The NRS is currently working to ensure that the remaining posts will be filled as soon as possible, subject to appropriately qualified candidates being available.
Budgetary pressures within the HSE delayed the full utilisation of the 2012 funding, but this sum is available again this year along with a further additional €35m which was provided in Budget 2013 for the continued development of mental health services across a range of headings, including the further ongoing development of community services. 477 posts have been approved to implement these measures.
Discussions took place within the HSE, and in consultation with the Department of Health, to finalise the allocation of these resources and commence recruitment. In March, each of the four HSE regions were asked to submit a business case against each of the identified objectives detailing how the funding is to be spent and the type and number of WTE to be recruited. The business cases were submitted to the Office of the Assistant National Director Mental Health and examined to ensure that they were within the scope of the agreed objectives approved by the HSE Senior Management Team; the funding came within the allocation to the Region; the WTEs were within the allocation; there was clarity about the types of post to be recruited.
Approval has issued to two of the Regions, HSE Dublin North East and HSE South and it is expected that approval will issue to the remaining two HSE Regions shortly. When the Approval Letters issue, the Regional Directors of Operations will ensure that the necessary paperwork is submitted to the NRS and the recruitment process will commence. I have received assurances from the HSE that the recruitment process for the new posts being funded in 2013, and any outstanding posts from the 414 approved in 2012, is being given priority within the HSE.
