Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Mental health issues continue to silently inflict immense damage on our country. The undercurrent of depression, anxiety and addiction is a profound, ingrained problem for society. No family is untouched by some form of mental health issue. Beyond the striking statistics on suicide levels, the affliction of depression is exacting a hefty toll on the day-to-day lives of countless people. We have successfully confronted dangerous challenges like this before. This Mental Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2017 which Deputy James Browne is bringing forward - I compliment my colleague on the amount of work he has put into this area - seeks to implement many of the recommendations contained in the 2015 report of the expert group on the review of the Mental Health Act 2001. The Bill will deliver immediate improvements and legislative protections for adults and children accessing acute mental health services. The Bill supports the right of inpatients to make decisions about their own treatment, with recent laws that affirm that everyone should be presumed to have the capacity to make decisions. This includes providing people with the support they need to be able to make decisions, and putting the person first.

"Putting the person first" are the four most important words that can be said here today. I am lost for words today. I am in despair, because today in Dungarvan, County Waterford, 16 beds at the Sacred Heart unit in a community hospital were closed. These beds provided vital rehabilitation, long-stay and respite facilities for many patients. We should be opening facilities at this stage, not closing them. It might be asked how I can link this with the Bill we are discussing. We have people with intellectual disabilities, dementia, older parents with adult children with Down's syndrome and dementia, people with mental health issues, and they depended so much on that week of respite once every six months in order for them to be able to continue caring for their loved ones. I find it very difficult tonight. The reason given for the closure of these beds is that in 2017 nursing levels are at crisis point and patient safety is at risk.

I was shocked to see this week in a survey undertaken by the INMO that 85% of all graduate nurses who are training at the moment are considering leaving the country. This morning, during questions on promised legislation, I said to the Taoiseach that a tsunami is coming our way in terms of recruiting doctors and nurses to look after our people. It is a huge issue. The pace of reform in our mental health service is far too slow and this Bill seeks to address this problem.

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