James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As mental health spokesperson, I pay particular tribute to those front-line staff working in our mental health facilities and sympathise with and offer my condolences to those who have died since I last spoke in this Chamber. I will focus on what is sometimes referred to as the third and fourth wave in any pandemic, which has a particular impact on the mental health of our society and individuals. A report by the WHO's mental health department warned of another looming crisis. Its director stated that "the mental health and wellbeing of whole societies have been severely impacted by this crisis and are a priority to be addressed urgently" and that the world could expect to see an upsurge in the severity of mental illness, including among children, young people and health workers. The UN has warned that the coronavirus pandemic risks sparking a major global mental health crisis. Here in Ireland, the St. John of God service has seen a dramatic increase in admissions to its Dublin mental hospital, half of which are related to Covid-19, including a number of healthcare workers. The Mental Health Commission, a State agency, has stated that it has been highly critical of the inconsistencies in staff testing and has criticised unacceptable delays in Covid-19 testing in mental health units. Clearly, the mental health impact of Covid-19 is already being felt in our society; both as a population and on those who are already vulnerable. On 23 April, I requested of the Minister and he agreed to the setting up of a mental health task force to guide the mental health recovery of our nation.

I have to say there was a significant amount of general interest among our mental health community about that. Have any steps been taken towards establishing such a task force and, if so, what steps? I have also written to the Minister about the matter since then.

What steps are being taken to ensure our mental health staff and patients are being tested as needed and are getting results without delay, bearing in mind the criticisms the Mental Health Commission made of the Department?

The mental health charities have seen a significant reduction in their capacity to fundraise and, in some cases, are already reducing services. What funding supports are being put in place to ensure continuity of service?

My next question is not directly related to mental health but has an impact thereon. It concerns patients who are non-Covid-19 related but need treatment. I will give two examples with which I dealt in my constituency yesterday. One patient was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January but has received no treatment. Another patient underwent a serious back operation in February but has not been able to avail of the necessary pain management since then.

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