Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 June 2013
938. Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for Health in relation to the filling of the 414 posts for community mental health services committed to in the Health Service Executive National Service Plan 2012, the number of these positions that have been filled by existing HSE staff members; his plans regarding the back-filling of the positions these staff members have vacated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26834/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra995. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health the amount of the €35 million that was spent on mental health services. [27530/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 938 and 995 together.
In 2012, a special allocation of €35m was provided for mental health to be used primarily to further strengthen Community Mental Health Teams in both adult and children’s mental health services, to advance activities in the area of suicide prevention, to initiate the provision of psychological and counselling services in primary care, and to facilitate the transfer of mental health service users from institutional to community based care. 414 posts were approved to implement this €35m package of special measures.
Candidates for these new posts were asked on application to include details of their current employer. However, at the appointment stage this data may not be current and cannot be validated. Accordingly, it is not possible to indicate the number of the successful candidates who were already employed by the HSE.
It is currently the responsibility of the HSE Regional Directors of Operations (RDO) to decide within the context of their current resources, whether to fill vacancies that may arise as a result of the appointment of an individual to the mental health development posts from 2012. Each RDO has been asked to consider favourably the backfilling of posts vacated by the appointment of individuals to new mental health development posts to ensure that the objective of enhancing General Adult and Child and Adolescent Community Mental Health Teams will be maintained.
As at 30th April, 2013, 383 of the 414 posts approved in 2012 have either been filled, are under offer or awaiting clearance. The National Recruitment Service (NRS) of the HSE creates national panels in anticipation of vacancies. On occasion however, it is difficult to fill some posts for various reasons including geographical location, international shortage of some grades, most notably clinical Psychologists etc. The NRS is currently working to ensure that the remaining posts will be filled as soon as possible, subject to appropriately qualified candidates being available.
Budgetary pressures within the HSE delayed the full utilisation of the 2012 funding, but this sum is available again this year along with a further additional €35m which was provided in Budget 2013 for the continued development of mental health services across a range of headings, including the further ongoing development of community services. 477 posts have been approved to implement these measures. Each of the four HSE regions were asked to submit a business case against each of the identified objectives detailing how the funding is to be spent and the type and number of WTE to be recruited.
Approval has issued to three of the Regions, HSE Dublin North East, HSE South and HSE West and it is expected that approval will issue to the remaining HSE Region shortly to enable recruitment to commence.
I have received assurances from the HSE that the recruitment process for the new posts being funded in 2013, and any outstanding posts from the 414 approved in 2012, is being given priority within the HSE.
