Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 November 2014
368. Deputy Eric Byrne asked the Minister for Health if and when all the key recommendations in A Vision For Change will be implemented; if and when counselling will be provided for bereaved adults and children following a suicide; when a 24 hour suicide help line will be provided; the allocation that was made in budget 2015 towards providing these services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45237/14]
View answerSince coming into office, this Government has prioritised the reform of our mental health services in line with the recommendations in A Vision for Change. Additional funding totalling €125 million and some 1,100 new posts have been provided 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.
Implementation of Vision is ongoing. Work will be undertaken during 2015 to prioritise outstanding actions informing the identification of any gaps in service. The additional €35 million provided for mental health in Budget 2015 will be directed towards the continued prioritised development and reconfiguration of General Adult teams, including Psychiatry of Later Life, and Child and Adolescent Community Mental Health teams. This will be delivered through further recruitment and investment in agencies and services in order to achieve a consistent service provision across all areas. In addition, the funding will also permit urgent specialist needs to be addressed, including psychiatric intensive care, forensic mental health, mental health intellectual disability care, and psychiatric liaison services. The details will be outlined in the HSE National Service Plan 2015.
Bereavement support for families and communities is critically important in the aftermath of a death by suicide. A range of local and national services provide suicide bereavement support to families and communities (details of these can be found at www.yourmentalhealth.ie). The HSE's National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP) provides funding to Console to deliver suicide bereavement support services across the country. The organisation has six regional offices and has a dedicated helpline for individuals bereaved by suicide. The National Office also provides funding to Counselling, Responding, Information and Bereavement Services in HSE South and to Mayo Suicide Liaison Project.
The NOSP, in collaboration with Console and the Resource Officers for Suicide Prevention, has funded the development of the Family Suicide Bereavement Liaison Service across HSE West. Family Liaison Bereavement Officers, employed by Console, provide a range of services such as home visits and linking families to appropriate services such as GP, counselling, listening, or mental health services. The service is currently available in Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Mayo, Galway, Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary with Roscommon, the Midlands and the South East available shortly.
There is help available for people who are struggling to cope or feel suicidal, and for families or friends who are concerned about someone. People who are in emotional distress can call the new Samaritans 24/7 free-phone number 116123, Console at 1800 201 890, Aware at 1890 303 302 and Pieta House at 01 601 0000.
The HSE National Service Plan for 2015, to be published shortly, will outline the total amount of funding for mental health services in 2015. Decisions on the allocation of budgets in respect of specific initiatives are an operational matter for the HSE.
