Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)

A Vision for Change contains 200 recommendations to be implemented over a seven to ten-year timeframe. Progress to date includes: the closure of a number of the old psychiatric institutions with ongoing work on the closure of the remaining institutions; a 17% decline in the number of patients resident in psychiatric facilities since 2006; fewer admissions and involuntary admissions; a year-on-year reduction since 2001 in the number of patients readmitted to hospital pointing to an improvement in community-based services; significant improvements in child and adolescent services with more multidisciplinary teams in place throughout the country and an increase in the number of inpatient beds; significant engagement with service users; and improvements in the forensic service.

An independent monitoring group was established to monitor and assess progress on the implementation of the recommendations set out in the report. I look forward to the group's annual report for 2010 which I expect to receive within the next few weeks. This will give an independent update on the current status of implementation and will give us the opportunity to take stock of where we are and identify areas in need of further improvement.

The reform of our mental health services is a priority for the Government. I assure the Deputy that I am fully committed to improving our mental health services, and to driving the implementation of A Vision for Change and the transition from an institutional to a community-based model of care. I am working with officials in my Department as well as the HSE with a view to delivering progress on the reform process in this area as early as possible.

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