Averil Power (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 12:

In page 7, after line 46, to insert the following:
?16D.?The Director for Mental Health shall be responsible for planning, budgeting for and reporting on the implementation of mental health policy. His delegated functions shall include but are not limited to producing a multi-annual plan to implement the Government?s mental health policy; consulting with patients, their families and significant others and other stakeholders in relation to a mental health services reform implementation plan; producing annual service plans, approving mental health service area budgets, reporting regularly against performance indicators agreed with the Minister for Health and ensuring equity of resources between Mental Health Catchment Areas.?.

This is the most important of our series of amendments in that it seeks to ensure the appointment of a director of mental health and sets out the functions of such person. It is important these are set out in the Bill. The Bill as drafted refers to the appointment of between four and seven directors but does not state what will be their functions or responsibilities. We strongly believe there is a need for a director of mental health. A key recommendation of A Vision for Change is that a mental health directorate be established. This must happen. I do not understand the reason the Minister would not be willing to accept an amendment to the effect that there will be a director for mental health unless he is confident one will not be established. In legislating for such an appointment, it is important to set out the functions of that person. As such, the amendment specifies that the director for mental health would be responsible for producing a multi-annual plan to implement the Government's mental health policy, consulting with users of mental health services, their families, significant others and other stakeholders in relation to a mental health reform implementation plan.

Senator Gilroy has been going around the country consulting with people. We held a joint meeting two weeks ago to hear the views of the public in terms of their experience and that of their families in the area of mental health services. I was struck by the gap between what some of the service providers believe is happening and the experiences of people who have been through those services. It is important that the director would be specifically tasked with ensuring there is ongoing consultation with the users of mental health services and that this feeds into policy being subjected to external scrutiny. It should not be the case that families in difficulty are treated as customers subjected to an overall plan. There is a need to really listen to people and to allow change on the basis of proper feedback.

The other functions set out in the amendment include the need for annual service plans for the mental health sector and a specific budget for mental health services, which is key given the raiding this year of the mental health budget to support other areas of the health service. It is important there are performance indicators agreed with the Minister in this regard and that information in terms of the plan, where it is at, the budget in place and how it is being spent, outcomes for patients and so on are publicly available. It is also crucially important to ensure equity of resources between mental health catchment areas, which is a real problem now.

We strongly believe it is crucial this Bill follows through on A Vision for Change and ensures there will be a person specifically tasked within the directorate with provision of leadership for the mental health sector and that the statutory functions and responsibilities of this person are clearly set out in the Bill so as to ensure real implementation. That is what we need. We have a plan for the health services. There is broad agreement on the fact that A Vision for Change is a good plan. However, what we do not have is implementation. I am not convinced there will ever be real implementation unless a person with leadership responsibility is appointed and there is a clear reporting structure on each of the issues outlined. I hope that the Minister can accept the amendment.