Dr. Colm Henry:

The mental health transformation is ahead of the hospital system in many ways because of the move away from providing care in institutions and hospitals towards developing community teams. We attended the two-year review of Sharing the Vision last week which looked at implementation to date and investments and better services, we hope, in perinatal support, eating disorders and CAMHS teams. The Senator mentioned dual diagnosis. There are considerable deficits in access, as she is well aware. That has come to the fore in particular in CAMHS. It shows how far we have to go despite the gains we have made. The conference we had with many mental health leaders last week highlighted the gains we have made, the structure we are putting in place and the appointments we are making, not only to enhance the quality and safety of the service but equally, if not more importantly, to provide timely access. Access is not optimal, to say the least, at the moment.