Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Hopkins for raising this matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Helen McEntee, who sends her apologies as she is unable to be here today. The Senator has asked when the external review of mental health services in Roscommon will be completed and made available.

The development of all aspects of mental health services remains a priority for the Government and the HSE. The latter, as the Senator knows, is responsible for the delivery of health services in this country and it secured a budget of €14.6 billion for 2017.This applies particularly in terms of promoting quality and safety and enhancing a recovery focus via local services for individuals and their families. This approach reflects the continued need to implement the key principles and objectives of A Vision for Change by modernising our mental health services and maximising resources to best meet various increasing demands.

In the context of concerns raised some time ago regarding mental health services in Roscommon, I have been advised that the HSE's national director of mental health commissioned an external independent review of the quality, safety and governance of these local services. The review commenced on 28 August 2015 and is being conducted by a team external to the executive. The terms of reference of the review, which is being undertaken in a manner that is respectful of the rights of all to privacy, confidentiality and procedural due process, includes assessing the systems and processes in place to ensure the quality, safety and appropriateness of care for mental health service users in Roscommon; reviewing governance arrangements for high-quality, safe and reliable services, covering issues such as multidisciplinary working, staffing levels and management; compliance with relevant national and HSE regulations, standards or protocols; and examining risk management processes and protocols within the Roscommon service and adherence to them in practice, including arrangements to ensure that incidents are appropriately reported and acted upon.

I understand also that, if it becomes apparent that there are reasonable grounds to believe that there are serious risks to the health or welfare of any person receiving services or that further investigation is necessary, the HSE may, in the interests of obtaining a complete report, extend the review's scope or recommend that a separate investigation be commenced as appropriate.

The HSE has told me that the report will be published in a format deemed appropriate to promote the safety and quality of mental health services in Roscommon for the ultimate benefit of the health and welfare of the public. It was initially envisaged that the review would be completed by March 2016. However, given its scale, the complexities involved and the need for the review team to meet as many people as possible, the team sought extensions to the timeframe. A public consultation exercise was also undertaken as part of the review process. At this juncture, the review is still ongoing and is expected to be completed in the coming weeks.

The HSE will not have sight of the final report until it has been signed off by the review team and submitted to the HSE's national director for mental health in accordance with agreed and due processes. All of the review team's recommendations will be examined in detail by the executive and considered in the context of any potential to improve high-quality and safe care within the resources available to the Roscommon mental health service. The Minister and all of the Ministers of State in the Department of Health will continue to monitor developments on this important service issue closely.

The Senator raised specific queries regarding local issues and the manner in which they had been handled. As I do not speak for the HSE and am merely conveying information, I am not in a position to give the Senator information on the local issues. However, I will undertake to ensure that the HSE provides an explanation as to what has happened with communication. Communication is crucial if we are to have a good, healthy and functional service. Our local representatives are always the touchstone when things go wrong and they need to be given proper and accurate information so that they are in a position to disseminate it to those who may contact them. I would have thought this to be a key priority for the people involved in the HSE.