Year on year funding for mental health services increased by €74 million from €1.221 billion announced in Budget 2023 to nearly €1.3 billion in 2024, and with a strong focus on investing in youth mental health. CAMHS receives €137 million in dedicated funding annually. In addition, around €108m has been provided to community-based mental health organisations this year, with a significant proportion dedicated to supporting young people.
As is the case following the Budget each year, the Department of Health is undertaking detailed discussions with the HSE to finalise the Mental Health element of the new HSE Service Plan 2024. Examples of service initiatives under Budget 2024 for Mental Health include:
• Additional staffing for CAMHS teams to improve access to services and reduce waiting lists.
• Expansion of multi-disciplinary CAMHS Hubs Teams to complement traditional service models.
• Further development of specialist mental health teams providing essential services.
• A new Youth Mental Health app.
• Development of a central referral mechanism (‘No wrong door’) for services for children, to be established on a pilot basis within the HSE to make referrals to community children's services including CAMHS easier to navigate and to ensure no child is waiting on the wrong list.
Representatives from the organisation referred to by the Deputy had a meeting with officials from the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive on 15 September 2023. Separately, I then met with the organisation on 25 October 2023.
Both meetings proved useful and constructive overall where broad issues of mutual interest were discussed to improve the delivery of youth mental health services, including Early Intervention services and improving links by the specialist HSE Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service with other relevant care programmes.
The Deputy can rest assured that I, and the HSE, will continue to liaise as appropriate with this organisation in relation to improving youth mental health care overall.
