Séamus Healy (Tipperary, Workers and Unemployed Action Group) | Oireachtas source

The policy, A Vision for Change, published in 2006, was an excellent roadmap for the development of mental health services throughout the country. It set out a whole community response and it rebalanced the service from what was primarily an inpatient service to a community-based service. It detailed a well-funded, well-resourced and appropriately staffed service and there was and continues to be huge buy-in from service users, staff, carers, families and community and voluntary organisations operating in this area. It is still acknowledged as the template for the service into the future. However, ten years later in 2016, the service is unfortunately dysfunctional, under-resourced and understaffed. We can see that from the fact that just 6.4% of the overall health budget goes on mental health care, compared to almost twice that in some of our European colleague countries. There were still 1,000 fewer staff in mental health services at the end of 2015 as against 2008 and there are currently 700 vacant posts in the service. Specialist 24-hour mental health crisis services are not evenly available across the country and people are therefore waiting for hours on end in accident and emergency departments. Approximately one third of child and adolescent admissions to hospitals were to adult units last year and there are significantly high rates of suicide in this country.

We now need a proper mental health action plan, properly funded, properly resourced, properly staffed and, crucially, with an independent monitoring mechanism to ensure a proper service is available nationwide and is evenly spread throughout the country. The policy, A Vision for Change, set out a whole community response and an epitome of the community-based approach in that document is a unit in my own constituency of Tipperary at Mount Sion in Tipperary town. It is an eight-bed residential community-based unit which is fully supported both by staff and locally throughout the whole community. It is part and parcel of the local community, a place where residents go in and out, one can have a cup of tea in town and meet the public and there is huge community buy-in supporting this unit. The Friends of Mount Sion have supported the unit for nearly 20 years, not just with ordinary voluntary and practical support but with significant financial support. Unbelievably, the HSE has now decided to close the unit. I would tell the Minister if he was here - the Minister of State, Deputy Harris, can tell him - that the people of Tipperary will not allow that unit to be closed. It is an absolutely excellent unit. Only yesterday, the Minister's policy adviser indicated that the unit was being closed for fire safety reasons. That is simply untrue. There were two meetings recently, one with the Friends of Mount Sion and one with residents and their relatives.

The question of fire safety was not mentioned or raised at any of the meetings nor was it indicated in advance of the meetings, so it is absolutely untrue. I ask the Minister of State, Deputy Simon Harris, to ensure the Minister for Health is aware of the situation so this unit can continue into the future with the ongoing full support of the community in Tipperary town.

Another issue is the effective robbing of €12 million from the health budget in a situation where there are 700 vacant posts and community and voluntary organisations are operating on a shoestring. These are organisations such as Pieta House, Console, the Samaritans, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, GROW, Aware and, locally in Tipperary, the C-SAW suicide prevention service and Taxi Watch. Another issue is the closure of the acute unit in South Tipperary General Hospital, which has been an absolute disaster and will have to be reversed by the incoming Government.

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