Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 25 May 2016
283. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Health his plans to publish an action plan for the reform of mental health supports ensuring adequate funding, good governance and oversight in line with A Vision for Change. [12089/16]
View answerA Vision for Change recommended that a National Mental Health Service Directorate should be established, including senior professional managers, senior clinicians and a service user. It further recommended that this Directorate should act as an advisory group and be closely linked with the management of the Primary and Continuing Community Care Division of the Health Service Executive. In 2013, a new HSE Mental Health Directorate was established, with full financial and operational responsibility for the delivery of 'A Vision for Change'.
The HSE Mental Health Division budget is published in the HSE National Service Plan for each year, followed by a more detailed Operational Plan for mental health services early in the year. These plans set out clearly the path the services are to take for the year in question.
Priority initiatives in 2016 include:
- The continued development of counselling services in Primary Care, including early intervention services at primary care level and the provision of three new Jigsaw youth mental health services in Cork and Dublin city centres, and in Limerick;
- The continued development of Community Mental Health Teams and improved 24/7 response and liaison services;
- Psychiatry of Later Life;
- Perinatal Mental Health; and
- Two new mental health clinical programmes, specifically, ADHD in Adults and Children, and Dual Diagnosis of those with Mental Illness and Substance Misuse.
'A Vision for Change' comes to the end of its 10-year term this year and plans for its review are under way. My Department will shortly commission an international expert and evidence-based review of mental health services to inform the review.
