John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this topic. North Dublin mental health services provide a range of adult mental health services within the specialties of general psychiatry and psychiatry of old age and a rehabilitation psychiatry service within the settings of service user homes, acute in-patient facilities, day hospitals, day centres and supported community residences. The delivery of services is guided by A Vision for Change which provides the strategic direction for the future delivery of mental health services and by the HSE national and Dublin north east service plans 2013 which set out national and regional priorities. While implementation of A Vision for Change and the reform of mental health services are priorities for the Government, implementation of A Vision for Change has been somewhat slower than originally expected. It has been delayed by a number of factors, including the changed economic context, constraints in public spending and the moratorium on recruitment. Nonetheless, a great deal of progress has been made with the accelerated closure of old psychiatric hospitals and their replacement with bespoke new facilities better suited to modern mental health care.

In 2012 a special allocation of €35 million was provided for mental health services, primarily to further strengthen community mental health teams in adult and children's mental health services, to advance activities in the area of suicide prevention, to initiate the provision of psychological and counselling services in primary care, specifically for people with mental health problems, and to facilitate the relocation of mental health service users from institutional care to more independent living arrangements in their communities, in line with A Vision for Change. Some 414 posts were approved to implement the €35 million package of special measures which resulted in an additional 87 WTE postsand an additional €6 million wasprovided for Dublin north east mental health services.

Budget 2013 provided a further €35 million for the continued development of mental health services and more than 470 additional staff will be recruited to implement these measures. HSE Dublin North East has been allocated an additional 104.5 WTEs and almost €7.3 million to progress the agreed objectives for the national service plan 2013 investment of €35 million in mental health services. I acknowledge that the service is operating within a challenging environment and faces a number of critical issues in relation to acute in-patient bed capacity, staffing resources and infrastructure. However, the opening of the new 44 bed acute psychiatric unit at Beaumont Hospital later this year will assist greatly in alleviating the current capacity issues being experienced by the service. The service has also recently benefited from the allocation of an additional 13 allied health professional posts as part of the mental health investment initiative to enhance the existing community mental health teams and is awaiting the appointment of 10.5 clinical nurse posts under the national clinical programme. Also, three nurses are expected to commence on the graduate nursing programme in the next number of weeks.

It is acknowledged that the mental health service in north Dublin faces a number of challenges. However, management and staff are working proactively to ensure these issues are addressed and an efficient and effective service is provided.