Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 4 October 2023
221. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Health the measures he will take to address the serious underfunding in mental health, which has been exposed in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic and the extraordinary demands made on already overstretched services. [43095/23]
View answerAs you will be aware, as Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People I take the Budget Estimates very seriously.
The Department of Health is currently engaging in dialogue with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform and the HSE in relation to the 2024 Estimates. Until these discussions are concluded it would not be appropriate for me to comment on this matter. However, I am committed to ensuring the continued enhancement of mental health services through the allocation of additional funding for mental health in 2024. Over the last three Budgets I have remained firmly committed to Mental Health. I secured significant increases in the Mental Health Budget by €200m. 2023 saw a record budget of €1.2 billion which underscores this Government’s commitment to mental health supports.Budget 2023 delivered almost €58m in additional funding, and a further €10m in once-off funding for much needed Minor Capital Works across the mental health system.Funding allocated to mental health services in recent years has allowed for the continued investment in the mental health National Clinical Programmes and Models of Care, which has led to significant service improvements. This includes full implementation of the specialist perinatal mental health network provided for as well as the on-going expansion of specialist mental health teams for Eating Disorders, ADHD in adults, and Dual Diagnosis.
Key achievements in 2023 have included:
• For the first time in the history of the State we now have a dedicated National Office for Youth Mental Health in the HSE. This is a very significant development and it will improve leadership, operational oversight, and management of all service delivery and improvements. A new HSE National Clinical Lead for Youth Mental Health and a new Assistant National Director for Child and Youth Mental Health have recently taken up post.
• The launch of the Model of Care for CAMHS Hubs has taken place, which provide intensive brief mental health interventions to support CAMHS Teams in delivering enhanced responses to children, young people and their families or carers, in times of acute mental health crisis. The HSE CAMHS Hubs have commenced implementation on a pilot basis.
• Further recruitment into teams associated with the National Clinical Programmes for Mental Health has continued. Progress has been made in recruiting staff to teams including ADHD in Adults teams, Early Intervention in Psychosis, Dual Diagnosis, Eating Disorders, Management of Self-Harm and Suicidal Ideation. This includes recruitment at consultant level.
• The Model of Care for Crisis Resolution was launched in May; recruitment into the Crisis Resolution Teams and development of the Crisis Resolution cafes continues apace.
• The expansion of peer support and recovery services with more Family Peer Support Workers in place.
• The new initiative in training for Counselling Psychologists has been established, and the 10 students receiving financial support under the scheme for the academic year 2023/24 are enrolled in their courses. This support will continue in the following years.
• Enhanced provision of talk therapies including increased provision of online cognitive behavioural therapy through the SilverCloud programme.
Importantly, as budgets increase, we need to ensure that we have plans and strategies in place so that those resources are used effectively and efficiently to the benefit of people using our mental health services. Through our national mental health policy Sharing the Vision, all aspects of mental health services are being improved and developed, in the short to longer term. Sharing the Vision aims to enhance the provision of mental health services and supports across a broad continuum, from mental health promotion, prevention, and early intervention to acute and specialist mental health service delivery, during the period 2020-2030.
I look forward to announcing several new initiatives as part of Budget 2024 to support those with mental health difficulties including to improve access and enhanced signposting of services.
