Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

To agree with the Deputy, when this document was published in 2006 we possibly did not foresee the financial circumstances in which we would find ourselves in the following years. However, in the last number of years the implementation of A Vision for Change has been given greater priority, with the Government providing an additional €160 million in ring-fenced funding for mental health in the period 2012-16. In view of that additional funding, we have had 1,550 additional posts in that field. However, I am very much aware there is a difficulty in obtaining and maintaining staff. Only this week, the HSE is reintroducing a one-year post-registration programme in psychiatric nursing for nurses who are already in the general field, in intellectual disability or in the children division. While I understand it is not enough, 30 posts are being made available from August onwards. A lot of work needs to be done in that regard.

As the Deputy said, there is no point conducting a review and having it sitting on a shelf, doing nothing. There needs to be a continuous assessment and continuous review, given times have changed since A Vision for Change was published in 2006. We know that the manner in which we implement our policies and our framework must change dramatically. While it will eventually be published, this review will be continuously reviewed and the implementation will be reviewed.

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