Michael Healy-Rae
Question:553. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if he will address a series of matters (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46351/23]
View answerTuesday, 24 October 2023
Questions (553)
Written answers
Sharing the Vision and Connecting for Life have a number of recommendations related to both digital technologies and accessibility, and the Department of Health continues to progress these through policy and strategy implementation processes to promote mental health at population level, as well as optimising the use of telehealth/telepsychiatry for service delivery.
The Mental Health Unit of the Department of Health continues to work closely with stakeholders in digital mental health including:
- Healthy Ireland in the development of the National Mental Health Promotion Plan which is due for publication in Q4 2023.
- The new HSE Youth Mental Health Office in relation to the role of digital technologies and online platforms for the purposes of mental health promotion to young people, as well as early intervention for children and young people.
- HSE counterparts in relation to the HSE Digital Mental Health Strategy that is in an advanced stage of development.
- The newly formed stakeholder group regarding online safety in the context of suicide prevention (NOSP/NSRF/Headline/Samaritans).
- International counterparts to support the work of the Expert Group on Digital Mental Health
- With DoH colleagues in relation to the use of digital mental health in the context of health information systems and data-driven decision making.
A Digital Mental Health Specialist Group was convened by HSE Mental Health Operations in May 2022, with representation from HSE Psychology, HSE National Counselling Service, HSE Community Operations, HSE Mental Health & Well-being, Mental Health Reform, the National Office for Suicide Prevention, Community Creations (Crisis Textline, 50808) and academia. The role of this group is to provide oversight and support the HSE to implement recommendations 2 and 31 of Sharing the Vision Implementation Plan 2022-2024, which advocate for the use of digital solutions to promote and support mental health. These are:
2 - Evidence-based digital and social media channels should be used to the maximum to promote mental health and to provide appropriate signposting to services and supports.
31 - The potential for digital health solutions to enhance service delivery and empower service users should be developed .
A key output of the Specialist Group is the development of a HSE Digital Mental Health Action Plan to cover a period of 18 months, to be followed by a longer term Strategic Action Plan up to 2030. The recent report by Mental Health Reform and HSE Mental Health Engagement and Recovery: Digital Inclusion and Access to Mental Health Services outlined key recommendations on digital inclusion. These were presented to the HSE Digital Mental Health Specialist Group and have been incorporated into the draft Digital Mental Health Action Plan, which includes actions related to services & supports, governance, resourcing and strategy.
Budget 2024 saw the total allocation for mental health services reach approximately €1.3 billion, which is the fourth year in a row in which the mental health budget has been increased. This significant investment will enable continued policy implementation and service improvement in line with our national mental health policy, Sharing the Vision. This year’s budget allocation builds on the investment this Government has made over the last number of years to deliver the policy priorities of Sharing the Vision through the provision of mental health supports across a broad continuum from mental health promotion, prevention and early intervention, to acute and specialist mental health service delivery, and enabling us to continue to deliver our vital services to as many people as possible, as we move into 2024.
Funding has been secured in Budget 2024 to develop a youth mental health app to ensure that mental health services remain modern and innovative and that service delivery channels are used to the greatest extent possible. Young people approach services differently and can be more likely to engage with digital or online supports and information. The app will incorporate interactive supports to help young people maintain and improve mental health and well-being and provide dynamic signposting for child and youth services in the community, providing a responsive platform to guide each individual young person to the support that they need. The app will act as a type of one stop shop for accessing child and youth mental health services in the community.
As occurs each year following the Budget, discussions will now take place with the HSE on details relating to specific service initiatives in the context of preparing the HSE Service Plan 2024, including that for Mental Health.