Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 July 2013
1057. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Health the position on the mental health report, A Vision for Change; the steps he has taken to implement the holistic service propounded in this report in 2012/13; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34423/13]
View answer1060. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Health the position on the report of the Inspector of Mental Health Services who has found that mental health services were stagnant and perhaps had slipped backwards in 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34426/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1057 and 1060 together.
The Government has prioritised the reform of the mental health service in line with A Vision for Change. This commitment was clearly shown in the Programme for Government which provides for the ring-fencing of €35 million from within the overall health budget to develop community mental health services and to ensure early access to more appropriate services for adults and children.
Additional funding totalling €70 million and almost 900 new posts have been provided as part of the last two budgets primarily to strengthen Community Mental Health Teams for both adults and children and to enhance specialist community mental health services for older people with a mental illness, those with an intellectual disability and mental illness and forensic mental health services in line with A Vision for Change.
The annual report from the Mental Health Commission which included the report of the Inspector for Mental Health Service 2012 acknowledged the continued progress towards ending the use of outdated and unsuitable buildings to provide inpatient services and the continued development of child and adolescent units which has contributed to a decline in the number of admissions of children to adult units.
However, it is disappointing that the pace of change towards a modern, patient-centred, recovery orientated mental health service has been somewhat slower than expected. It is also a concern that the Inspector found that overall compliance with regulation, rules and codes of practice in 2012 can only be regarded as fair with no significant improvement on previous years. High standards in facilities and in inpatient care must be the norm without exception. The aim is to further develop mental health services that are recovery oriented and that put service users, their families and carers at the centre. In this regard, I welcome the commitment in the HSE National Service Plan to improve the quality of mental health services in line with the requirements of the Mental Health Commission.
The recruitment of the additional 900 WTEs for mental health and the appointment by the HSE of a new Director for Mental Health will pave the way for a significant change in the management and delivery of our mental health services and will be a key step towards remedying many of the problems identified by the Inspector for Mental Health Services.
