Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 252:

In page 145, between lines 12 and 13, to insert the following: “5-year sharing the vision funding and implementation strategy

177. (1) The Minister shall, within 12 months of the passage of this Act, publish a five-year funding and implementation strategy for mental health services.

(2) The strategy referenced in subsection (1) shall be reviewed annually by the Mental Health Commission.

(3) The strategy shall place an emphasis on shifting care to community-based services as and where appropriate.”.

This amendment is very straightforward and clear in its request. We are seeking to ensure the Minister of the day "shall, within 12 months of the passage of this Act, publish a five-year funding and implementation strategy for mental health services". As I said before, we need to have definitive timelines and future-proofing of mental health services. We also need to be able to forward plan and this is what this amendment seeks to allow us to be able to do.

We are also asking that the strategy previously referenced in the Bill "shall be reviewed annually by the Mental Health Commission" so any emerging issues and concerns can be addressed at the earliest possible time.

We are asking too that "The strategy shall place an emphasis on shifting care to community-based services as and where appropriate". When the closures of several institutions happened - correctly - several years ago and the move to community care was the plan, what did not follow with this move of the patient and service user was an adequate level of funding to make it effective.

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