Pat Buckley
Question:852. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Health the number of additional CAMHTs needed in the Health Service; and the additional cost of staffing these teams on an annual basis. [34472/17]
View answerThursday, 13 July 2017
Questions (852)
Written answers
In January 2006, the Government adopted the Report of the Expert Group on Mental Health Policy A Vision for Change as the basis for the future development of mental health services in Ireland. The recommendations contained within A Vision for Change were based on Ireland’s then population of 3.917 million, as indicated in the 2002 census. The population of Ireland today, based on the most recent Census figures for 2016, is 4.7 million.
The table outlines the number of Whole Time Equivalent staff numbers working in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) as of April 2017, and the gap in staffing according to A Vision for Change recommendations adjusted for an increased population. Using an average figure of €66,000 per Whole Time Equivalent, the additional resources required to fill the 583 posts would be €38.5 million per annum.
|
Community Team Type |
Community Health Organisation (CHO) |
Whole Time Equivalents (WTE) at April 2017 |
% of A Vision for Change(adjusted for 2017 population) |
WTE gap Per A Vision for Change |
|
CAMHS |
CHO 1 |
57 |
53% |
51 |
|
CHO 2 |
56 |
57% |
50 |
|
|
CHO 3 |
55 |
55% |
45 |
|
|
CHO 4 |
86 |
49% |
90 |
|
|
CHO 5 |
63 |
45% |
75 |
|
|
CHO 6 |
67 |
55% |
54 |
|
|
CHO 7 |
71 |
48% |
77 |
|
|
CHO 8 |
102 |
57% |
76 |
|
|
CHO 9 |
90 |
69% |
52 |
|
|
ALL |
657 |
53% |
583 |
Since 2012, €140 million in additional funding has been allocated to the Mental Health services. This has increased the total Mental Health Budget from €711 million in 2012 to over €850 million today. The increased investment in mental health services over the last number of years has helped to facilitate an increase in the number and staffing levels of both Adult, and Children & Adolescent Community Mental Health Teams. Of the additional 1,550 new mental health posts approved since 2012, some 1,150 have been, or are in the process of being recruited, notwithstanding the very challenging recruitment environment in which the HSE is operating. The HSE has prioritised the recruitment of staff required for its mental health services.