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Mental Health Commission Reports

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 July 2014

Tuesday, 8 July 2014

Questions (694)

Billy Timmins

Question:

694. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the chairman's forward to the Mental Health Commission annual report 2013. in which he states that, since 2007, staffing in mental health services has been reduced by the implementation of recruitment embargoes and employment moratoriums; the medium and long-term effect of such policies is to endanger the delivery of confident and responsive community-based services as envisaged in A Vision for Change; this situation needs to be reversed by the continued allocation of new revenue for the full development of community mental health teams and concomitant services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29202/14]

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Written answers

I have noted the position indicated in the Report referred to by the Deputy in regard to staffing requirements for mental health services. The Government is committed to the continued reform of mental health services, notwithstanding the substantial overall reduction in resources available to the health service in recent years. Towards this end, ring-fenced funding of €90 million and some 1,100 posts are being provided between 2012 and end 2014 to develop community mental health services and suicide prevention resources. The budget for mental health services in 2014 is significant at approximately €766 million.

A Vision for Change indicates a requirement for 10,647 WTE staff which, when adjusted for the 2011 population census, equates to around 12,240 WTE staff by 2016. However, given the changed economic circumstances since the publication of Vision in 2006, the Government had to reduce the numbers employed across the public service in order to meet fiscal and budgetary targets. While the health sector must make its contribution to that reduction, the HSE can make staff appointments once it remains within its overall employment ceiling, and has the financial resources to do so. The HSE Service Plan for 2014 commits to developing workforce planning to bring greater certainty around essential replacements, and the streamlining of recruitment to allow for more local control and specialisation, where appropriate.

While staffing levels in the mental health service have fallen, there are positives that must be acknowledged. Many of the staff numbers lost were supporting the excessive numbers of beds which are no longer part of the service user recovery focused, modern, community-based model for mental health. The overall reduction in numbers has been mitigated due to the priority ring-fenced Programme for Government investments in 2012, 2013 and again in 2014. This has allowed the HSE to begin to re-balance the staff skill mix in mental health and to introduce new staff in the historically under represented disciplines recommended in A Vision for Change i.e. psychologists, social workers and occupational therapists.

Recruitment of the additional posts in 2012 and 2013 is continuing with 95% of the 2012 posts filled as at the end of May 2014. The recruitment process is complete for 68% of the 2013 posts, with the remainder in various stages of the recruitment process. These posts continue to come on stream, and are targeted to be in place by the end of Quarter 2 of 2014. Decisions on the breakdown of the new 2014 posts (between 250 - 280 posts) are being made by the HSE, following a business case and analysis process to ensure that the required professional grades are recruited to fill identified service gaps. It is intended that these posts will be in place by end of 2014.

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