Dara Calleary
Question:41. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Health when he expects the number of community CAMHS posts in CHO 2 to reach the level recommended under A Vision for Change. [48219/17]
View answerWednesday, 15 November 2017
Questions (41)
Written answers
The Government is committed to increasing the Mental Health budget annually, as shown by the substantial additional funding of some €200m provided for mental health from 2012 to 2018. The implementation of 'A Vision for Change' has been given specific priority in recent years with the additional ring-fenced funding, specifically aimed at modernising mental health services in line with the Programme for Government commitments. A key focus has been approval of some 1,550 additional posts to strengthen Community Mental Health Teams; enhancing specialist community mental health and forensic services, increasing access to counselling and psychotherapy; and developing suicide prevention initiatives. These posts are directly facilitating the policy of moving away from traditional institutional based care to a patient-centred, flexible and community based mental health service. Staff recruitment and retention has been a challenge for the HSE for various reasons, with approximately two thirds of these posts filled so far in certain CHO areas.
CHO 2 serves a population of 109,784 people aged 0-18 years. Adjusted for population changes, A Vision for Change recommendations would result in a total of 114 Whole Time Equivalents (WTEs) required across all CAMHS teams. Currently, there are 66 WTEs in post, and a further 3 approved and funded posts under recruitment, i.e. nearly 61% of the recommended level. CHO2 works closely with the HSE Mental Health Division to prioritise additional funding for continued investment in CAMHS. Continuing Programme for Government funding will support the implementation of Vision for Change recommendations.
The HSE National Service Plans of recent years also highlight the broad range of ongoing reforms in mental health services including CAMHS. The Department of Health is currently advancing a review of 'A Vision for Change' . Having commissioned an Expert Evidence Review (completed in February 2017), an Oversight Committee has been established to begin the process of updating our mental health policy.