Dr. Shari McDaid:

The point on forward planning was very well made. We have been calling for some time now for the mental health services to develop a programme of cultural competence for staff in bringing about a culturally sensitive service. This will have to apply to mental health care delivered in primary care as well and it is about ensuring the system is equipped to support people from different ethnic communities and new communities coming to Ireland. That extends not just to developing a level of staffing competence in providing services to people from diverse cultural backgrounds but also to planning for services that have adequate capacity to support individuals in distress in those circumstances. That is really where the Senator's story hints at a failure to adequately plan for a new situation in Ireland, which is a more diverse community. I would welcome it being a priority within the HSE for them to plan for services that can provide support for people from ethnic minority communities coming into the country. It will probably need to do that in partnership with other services around the country, such as the direct provision system. There needs to be communication and collaboration between those who organise direct provision and mental health services.