Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 May 2012
173 Deputy Ciara Conway asked the Minister for Health his vision for the role of the Health Service Executive National Counselling Service; if it will be incorporated into the primary care model; the way and when this will happen; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23411/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraI assume the Deputy is referring to the Counselling in Primary Care initiative under the Health Service Executive's National Service Plan (NSP) 2012.
In its NSP 2012, the HSE agreed to prioritise three initiatives from the special allocation of €35m provided in Budget 2012 for Mental Health to implement the objectives of the Programme for Government, to progress the implementation of “A Vision for Change” and among other things to provide access to counselling and psychotherapy for those with mental health problems who are eligible under the General Medical Services (GMS) Scheme in Primary Care. In this context, the NSP 2012 provides for the replication nationally of the model operational in the HSE’s North East Area, managed by the National Counselling Service (NCS), as a way of meeting the requirement to improve access to psychological therapies in Primary Care. €5m has been made available for this purpose from the above special allocation for Mental Health in 2012.
To implement the model nationally, an additional Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) counsellor will be allocated to each of the 10 National Counselling Services. These counsellors will work within the NCS, managing the referral process, to ensure that an appropriate referral and counselling match is provided to meet the needs of individuals. They will also be responsible for ensuring that the sessions are time limited and that proper clinical supervision is in place for the counsellors providing the sessions on an agency basis. This postholder will be responsible for the set up, roll out, management, monitoring and evaluation of the Model, including relationship development with GPs in their areas.
A National Steering Group has been established in the HSE to scale up the Model as developed in the North East and co-ordinate its implementation nationally. The Steering Group will also work to develop the national guidance and to ensure the consistent roll-out of the model. It is not possible yet to give a start date for the new service until further planning work has been completed.
