Finian McGrath
Question:94. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health to support a matter (details supplied) regarding mental health services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8653/16]
View answerThursday, 28 April 2016
Questions (94)
Written answers
Ireland's national Mental Health policy, A Vision for Change, provides a framework for the development of more accessible, community-based or specialist services for people with mental illness. This policy has been supported by the provision of €160 million since 2012. Over this period, in the region of 1,550 new Mental Health posts have been approved.
In 2015, the Government launched ‘Connecting for Life’, our new strategy to reduce suicide for the period 2015 – 2020. The Strategy sets out a vision where fewer lives are lost through suicide, and where communities and individuals are empowered to improve their mental health and wellbeing. This includes a greater focus on the important area of support for families and communities in suicide prevention, and will include providing community-based organisations with guidelines, protocols and training on effective suicide prevention.
Dealing with the current levels of suicide and deliberate self-harm is a national priority. Funding for suicide prevention, provided to the National Office for Suicide Prevention by the HSE, has increased from €3.7 million in 2010 to €8.8 million in 2015, an increase of almost 140% in just five years. In addition, €1.2 million has been made available annually since 2014 to fund HSE Resource Officers for Suicide Prevention, Self-Harm Liaison Nurses in Hospital Emergency Departments and other regional suicide prevention initiatives.