Dáil debates

Wednesday, 21 June 2017

Other Questions

Mental Health Services Provision

5:50 pm

Photo of Mick WallaceMick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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54. To ask the Minister for Health the position regarding the pilot mental health peer support worker initiative, which was to be rolled out in counties Carlow, Kilkenny and Tipperary in early 2017; the timeframe for the evaluation of this scheme; when he expects to roll it out in County Wexford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27870/17]

Photo of Pat GallagherPat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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We have one minute left and Deputy Wallace has waited all afternoon. He can put his question and the Minister can reply. It will be on the record and that is that

Photo of Mick WallaceMick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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Come on.

Photo of Pat GallagherPat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Or else no question.

Photo of Mick WallaceMick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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My question is on the pilot mental health peer support workers initiative. I have asked about it a number of times. I asked the head of mental health services in the Wexford and Waterford region about it and she failed to answer my question. A month later she said funding for the trial of the initiative simply went to Carlow, Kilkenny and south Tipperary and that it will eventually be rolled out in Wexford. Of all the areas in the country Wexford probably needs it more than most. We have no emergency mental health services outside 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday. The programme is about empowering people to make decisions about how their care proceeds. Surely autonomy is a human rights issue and the bedrock of self-respect, and it is something that is not available to people who are challenged in this area in Wexford at present, where we probably have the worst mental health services in Ireland.

Photo of Pat GallagherPat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy has included his supplementary question.

Photo of Mick WallaceMick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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That is not true.

Photo of Pat GallagherPat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister can respond to both.

Photo of Simon HarrisSimon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Wallace for raising this important issue. The Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, who has responsibility for mental health policies since yesterday has had to go to the Seanad to take a Private Members' motion so he is already working hard. I am taking this on his behalf. I thank the Deputy for raising what is a very serious issue in Wexford. I have received correspondence from the Mayor of Wexford town, among others, highlighting this important issue and the Deputy has been in touch with us regularly on it.

The 2016 national mental health division's operational plan outlined an objective to introduce peer support workers in mental health services. Peer support workers are people who have lived experience of mental distress and recovery. The peer support workers will use their expertise gained through lived experience to promote recovery and share information to promote choice, self-determination and opportunities for connection with local communities. In addition to working with other mental health multidisciplinary professionals, it is envisaged that the peer support worker will work alongside an agreed number of service users on a one to one group basis.

Following a national competitive process for all HSE mental health service areas, an initial funding allocation to develop the national peer support initiative was allocated to a small number of multidisciplinary teams in the Carlow, Kilkenny and south Tipperary area. The pilot initiative began in February this year. A review of the initiative is planned in September. Following this, it is anticipated the peer support worker model will be developed, subject to additional resources, across an extended catchment area.

Additionally, a commitment to peer support is outlined in the 2017 HSE national service plan. Peer support workers are now working as part of 13 teams within mental health services. The extension of this initiative and recruitment of more peer support workers will commence later this year, once the review in September is published. I will ask the Minister of State, Deputy Daly, to keep in touch with Deputy Wallace on this.

Photo of Pat GallagherPat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy can have one supplementary question.

Photo of Mick WallaceMick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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For the record, the executive clinical director for CHO 5 explained to one of my staff in November that there was no point in talking to the mentally ill, as the HSE like to called people with mental health issues, and that it is not possible to trust what the mentally ill are saying. That people hold this position is pretty much at odds with the approach at the heart of the peer support initiative. I wonder how the programme could take off when the executive clinical director for the area has zero regard for the integrity of those facing mental challenges. I plead with the Minister and the Minister of State to look at this area. We are not being well served by the personnel in the HSE in this region and that is a fact.

Photo of Simon HarrisSimon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Obviously I do not want to comment on individual staff matters or comments that may or may not have been said because I am not familiar with the details, but let me be very clear about my commitment and the commitment of the Government on developing further the peer support programme. It seems extraordinarily logical that we would benefit from the experience of people who have been through mental distress and have gone on to recovery.

It is an invaluable tool. Anecdotally, I hear there are good benefits from the pilot project in place. The project was selected through a competitive process in which every HSE mental health services area had an opportunity to apply. We will have the results of the review in September, which will be in advance of both the budget and the HSE's service plan, and I am sure my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, will be eager to roll it out to an expanded area. I will take on board the Deputy's view about Wexford being considered in that context.

Written Answers follow Adjournment.