Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Devine for the opportunity to clarify some of the misinformation she is continuing to peddle with gusto. In 2018, we will see an increase of €35 million in development spending for mental health, part of which will pay for development commenced this year while part will pay for further new developments to be commenced in 2018. There will also be additional funding of €24 million for pay-related costs. This will result in a mental health budget of €912 million, which reflects an increase of around €200 million, or approximately 28%, since 2012. I challenge the Senator to identify any other area of the budget that has seen an increase of 28% since 2012.

Mental health is also guaranteed a further €55 million in 2019. The additional €35 million for this year will help build on the work commenced in 2017 on the enhancement of community teams for children, adults, psychiatry of later life and mental health intellectual disability services. It will also help to continue our move towards a full 24-7 service, with an initial focus on increasing the provision of services on a seven day a week basis. The HSE has been asked to prioritise this in 2018. Developing a service response which is as seamless as possible for every service user is also a priority of the HSE. It is the policy of the HSE, as reflected in its annual service plans, to provide an age-appropriate mental health service for those aged under 18.

Mental health remains a key care programme priority for this Government, underscored by the fact that the HSE mental health budget increased from around €826 million in 2016 to approximately €851 million this year, and will further increase to €912 million next year, an increase of €63 million.There will also be an additional €55 million for 2019.

Taken together with €35 million in 2018 and €15 million allocation in 2017, this will bring the total allocation over the period 2017-2019, inclusive, to €105 million. This will deliver on the commitment to the full implementation of A Vision For Change. Planning for the effective use of these additional resources will commence immediately to ensure new developments are introduced speedily. The HSE service plan 2017 commits to the further development of various aspects of child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, to which the Senator referred, including more acute bed provision, better out-of-hours liaison and reduced waiting times, especially for those waiting over 12 months.

CAMHS is a strategic priority action for the HSE, and will remains so against a background where the population of children increased by around 8,500 over the last two years which inevitably created additional demand on CAMHS. Around 18,500 referrals are expected to the service this year. Additional resources and facilities means there are now 67 CAMHS teams and three paediatric liaison teams, supported by 60 operational CAMHS beds nationally, with further beds planned to come on-stream as approved staffing posts materialise at local level.

It is envisaged that the increased funding for CAMHS will go to areas such as: day hospital provision, thus improving responses to cases, avoiding inpatient stay and providing more appropriate support than available from community teams; the development of CAMHS eating disorder specialist community teams in line with A Vision for Change; improving the physical health of those under 18 years known to mental health services or who co-present or arc treated in primary care services; the expansion of liaison teams to work with CAMHS governance and ensure appropriate assessments for children including sessional capacity; and the promotion of prevention and early intervention services for positive youth mental health, including enhancing partnerships with non-statutory agencies.

The Senator can rest assured that CAMHS will continue to receive priority from me, the Department of Health and the HSE. One aspect in particular which I wish to develop includes improved cross-referral within the HSE and better inter-agency links between the HSE and the education, disability, and child care sectors. I will ensure that, in light of the significant funding provided in budget 2018 for mental health, CAMHS will continue to be prioritised by the HSE in formulating its service plan for next year.