Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

Today's motion from the Regional Group has been brought forward against a severe backdrop for the people of Ireland. Covid-19 has had an unprecedented impact on our nation's physical and mental well-being. At a time when demand has increased, service delivery has slowed and, in some cases, stopped, meaning that the pandemic has had a double hit on our nation's mental well-being. With higher levels of depression and anxiety recorded across many nations, the UN has warned that the pandemic risks sparking a major global mental health crisis. We know this to be the case in Ireland as well. Research carried out in this country has shown that, at a minimum, one third of people in Ireland have experienced serious mental health difficulties during the pandemic. In young people the situation is worse, with that figure rising to over one half.

Isolation and depression are on the rise as a result of the pandemic and referrals for mental health services have increased significantly. Services which were already chronically under-resourced have been left completely overwhelmed and people who are in serious need of urgent care have been left waiting. At the start of 2020, there were almost 2,000 on the waiting list for CAMHS. That was prior to Covid. It illustrates how strained mental health provision was before the additional impact of the pandemic. Since then, we have seen a 25% increase in the number of children and young people on the waiting list for CAMHS. In primary case, more than 10,000 people across all ages are on waiting lists to see a psychologist. We have seen this replicated across the sector. Some 92% of Mental Health Reform members have said they require additional resources to deal with the impact of Covid. How can the Minister of State accept this scandal? There is no other way to describe it but to state that it is a scandal. Mental health needs to be front and centre in the context of the response to Covid-19. The evidence clearly shows this will have a massive impact on our population well beyond the timeline of Covid-19. Many people will be faced with a permanent mental impact from this very dark year and this must be taken into account as well.

Last week, An Garda Síochána confirmed that domestic violence and abuse have continued to increase as the pandemic has worn on. It stated that violence moved indoors during the pandemic, with domestic violence up almost 17% since last year. The victims of domestic violence have been left to feel literally trapped in abusive homes as a result of the restrictions. No doubt they will feel the impact of this year well into the future and this Government and those that will succeed it need to be in a position to offer increased support.

The people to whom I refer are not the only ones who will suffer from the pandemic in the long term. The Institute of Fiscal Studies has stated that the economic downturn resulting from the pandemic will have significant consequences for people's mental health outcomes in the short and longer term. We already know that severe socioeconomic inequalities can give rise to mental health difficulties. The full fiscal impact of the pandemic still remains to be seen but I urge the Government to take heed of how those who have lost employment as a result of the pandemic may be affected well into the future. Most importantly, the Government must ensure that mental health services are targeted towards the areas of greatest need, especially the most disadvantaged areas.

The motion makes reference to investing in mental health services. I want to touch on the amount of investment in the services so far this year. First, it was disappointing that the winter plan contained no additional provision for mental health at a time when it is so desperately needed. The only saving grace was the €50 million investment in budget 2021. That is made up of €38 million for new services and €10 million for existing services. Although €50 million is a significant sum, it must be said it falls short of the €80 million which Mental Health Reform predicted will be needed this year. It is crucial any gap in funding for existing services, which is likely given that funding falls below predicted costs, is not met using the funds for new service development. People in Ireland depend on mental health services for their well-being and consistent, chronic underfunding has led, as we know, to extremely long waiting lists. New services are absolutely essential and if their funding is slashed to make up for other shortfalls, we will be waiting a very long time to see any significant improvements.

Finally, I must mention Sharing the Vision because it is a really important document. It is a pity that there is no mention of it in today's motion. The policy has a detailed action plan to create a more integrated whole system continuum of care. That goes to one of the central pillars of Sláintecare, which aims to bring healthcare closer to home by strengthening primary and community care. As most people in this Chamber know, the Government has been sluggish in implementing and funding Sláintecare. Sharing the Vision lays out a very clear pathway to improving our mental health services but, without the overarching health framework funded and implemented through Sláintecare, it is difficult to know what real follow-through the Government will have in respect of these initiatives. If we are to have any hope of meeting mental health needs, Sharing the Vision and Sláintecare must be top of the Government's list of priorities.

The Social Democrats strongly supports this motion and the call to make mental health a priority in Covid-19 planning. With the promise of a vaccine quickly becoming a reality, it is to be hoped that the immediate threat of Covid-19 will lessen over the course of next year. For many people in Ireland, however, whose mental health suffered as a consequence of the pandemic, Covid's impact will be felt for many years to come. It is up to this Government and future ones to ensure the right supports are in place for all those people.

See this speech in context