Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Government is committed to increasing the mental health budget annually, as shown by the substantial additional funding of €200 million for mental health from 2012 to 2018. The implementation of A Vision for Change has been given specific priority in recent years with the additional ring-fenced funding specifically aimed at modernising mental health services in line with the programme for Government commitments. A key focus has been the approval of some 1,550 additional posts to strengthen community mental health teams; enhancing specialist community mental health and forensic services, increasing access to counselling and psychotherapy; and developing suicide prevention initiatives. These posts are directly facilitating the policy of moving away from traditional institution-based care to a patient-centred, flexible and community-based mental health service. Staff recruitment and retention have been a challenge for the HSE for various reasons, with approximately two thirds of these posts filled so far in certain CHO areas. Recruitment continues and the HSE has also prioritised in particular the staffing of CAMHS units and community-based CAMHS teams.

There are currently 12 CAMHS teams in CHO 8. This represents 80% of its target resource set out in A Vision for Change. In recent years there has been a significant increase and investment in staff in the CAMHS service. CAMHS teams will continue to benefit from development funding in the coming years, supporting the implementation of Vision for Change recommendations.

The HSE national service plans of recent years also highlight the broad range of ongoing reforms in mental health services, including CAMHS. The Department of Health is currently advancing a review of A Vision for Change. Having commissioned an expert evidence review, completed in February of this year, an oversight committee was established to begin the process of updating our mental health policy.

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