Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The best thing would be to arrange a meeting to discuss it. I thank the Senator for her detailed analysis of many problems that exist. There is widespread acknowledgement that there are many problems that must be addressed. Mental health continues to be a priority for the Government. It is reinforced by the fact that funding is increasing and we have given a commitment to continue to increase it. This will be paramount to how we can progress and address many of the issues the Senator raised.

The Mental Health Commission Annual Report 2015 reflects the widely accepted need to further develop a community based mental health service, with a prevention and recovery focus, as outlined in A Vision for Change, which, as the Senator said, is ten years old. Given that it was to be reviewed after seven years, we need to get moving on it. The Mental Health Act 2001 provides that the inspector of mental health services visits, inspects and reports on every approved centre at least once every year. The inspector may also inspect any other service where mental health services are being delivered under the direction of a consultant psychiatrist.

The Report of the Expert Group on the Review of the Mental Health Act 2001 was published last year. The group recommended the Mental Health Commission develop a risk-based approach to inspection to ensure maximum effectiveness and efficiency in the use of scarce resources. The group was in broad agreement that inspections of approved centres should be proportionate, based on risk and take place at least once every three years. Annual inspections may be required if the risk profile merits such scrutiny. This would allow for community services to be registered and inspected at reasonable intervals using a risk-based system starting with all community mental health teams. Work on the general scheme of a Bill to amend the Mental Health Act 2001 and to include the recommendations I have mentioned is under way in my Department. I will take the Senator's suggestions and would welcome working with her on any of those.

In the context of ongoing development of community mental health teams, the HSE continues to promote prevention and recovery initiatives and enhanced service user engagement across the mental health services. This has been reinforced by my decision to commence a process of policy review for mental health, guided by research into international evidence and best practice in these areas. We should focus not just on mental illness but on health, well being and many other factors that contribute to it. Six approved mental health centres achieved full compliance with all regulatory requirements in 2015. While 55 centres were found to be non-compliant to varying degrees, 82% of these findings were small issues rated as having a low to moderate risk of recurrence, which can and, hopefully, will be addressed in the very near future. I have urged the maximum effort on the part of all non-compliant centres to meet the necessary requirements in 2016 and in this respect I welcome the introduction of the Mental Health Commission Judgement Support Framework to guide and assist approved centres to comply with the commission’s regulations, rules and codes of practice and to promote improved quality of services through a transparent inspection process. In light of the fact that it will take time and funding to improve it, we must give as much support as possible to the services to try to ensure they are as compliant as possible.

Funding for mental health in 2016 has increased from the 2015 outturn of €785 million to €826 million, an increase of €41 million, which includes the €35 million ring-fenced. This funding is used to develop the priorities for 2016, which includes improved counselling services across both primary and secondary care, continued development of community mental health teams, improved 24-7 response and liaison services, which needs to be a priority, psychiatry of later life, perinatal mental health, and two new mental health clinical programmes, namely, ADHD in adults and children and dual diagnosis of those with mental illness and substance misuse.

The Department of Health sanctioned the HSE to commence expenditure, and I have signed off on this for approximately €22 million of this year’s funding for new developments. It is expected that sanction in respect of the remainder of the funding will be signed off in the coming weeks