Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is the first time I have met the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, in the Chamber since her appointment. I wish her well and congratulate her. I will be critical of the Government but I do not doubt the Minister of State's personal commitment to this role. I would argue the Minister of State's job is certainly among the toughest of any Minister in the Government.

Where should one begin with this topic? Extensive research shows that there are massive challenges in this area. To cite some of the statistics, the HSE has stated that traffic to its mental health website was up by 490%, with more than 800,000 visits between March and July of last year. Jigsaw, which does such important work, has stated that demand for its services has increased by over 50% during the pandemic. The Samaritans have reported an increase in the frequency of conversations about callers' existing mental health difficulties being exacerbated and the lack of access. That is a point to which I will keep coming back, namely, the lack of access to mental health supports since the pandemic began. I am afraid I must tell the Minister of State that under this Government, we have gone from a mental health crisis to a mental health emergency.

The Mental Health Reform group, which is a national coalition on mental health in Ireland, has outlined two key areas for investment. We need staffing levels across the mental health system to be increased and people must get quick and easy access to mental health services when they need them. Just before the onset of the pandemic, I took part in a couple of meetings in Limerick and Clare with parents, in particular, of children who could not access services. There is no doubt but that we have lost lives due to access. This problem was not created yesterday or in the past six months. It has been ongoing, frankly, for decades. The challenges facing the Government are considerable but we need to see a change in gear in terms of the responses. I acknowledge that the previous speaker made the point well that while more funding has been allocated, much more needs to be done. It is good to hear that recognition from across the Chamber.

We must move towards parity of esteem for mental health provision, which places mental health on parity with physical health. Years of underinvestment have led to waiting lists with over 2,000 children on the waiting list for the child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, and more than 10,000 adults and children awaiting psychology appointments. No doubt all the Senators opposite know how bad this is because we all are contacted on a daily basis by parents and adults desperate to access the system. Unfortunately, the prospects are that in many cases, they will have to wait for years.

One of the major gaps in services commonly experienced by those in distress is the lack of care outside of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. At present, there is no State-wide provision of 24-7 crisis services at a community level. People should have access to mental health treatment where and when they need it. Mental health issues do not only occur between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. and nor do they take the weekend off. Mental health issues do not take a break during a pandemic. We can have no half measures when it comes to mental health.

The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic has only increased pressures on already under-resourced mental health services. GPs are overwhelmed. They have requested referrals to talk therapies and counselling but with people having no access to 24-7 services and accident and emergency departments not working, there is no follow-up with patients and consequently, people are simply falling through the cracks. The long waiting lists for child and adult psychology treatment are completely unacceptable. Early intervention is key to a child's development and children are missing out on lost opportunities because they cannot access the treatment that they need.

I want to speak briefly about Limerick. In the community healthcare organisation, CHO, 3, which covers counties Clare, Limerick, north Tipperary and east Limerick, the number of patients on the psychology waiting list for treatment was 505 up to October 2020. Of those aged between five and 17 years, 243 patients had been waiting more than a year in this area. This is costing us lives. I think we would agree it all comes down to funding. In the 1980s, mental health funding was 16% of the overall health budget but in 2020, it had fallen to 7%, and it is scheduled to be 6% in 2021. Sláintecare recommends 10% and the World Health Organization recommends 16%. Of the additional €4 billion provided in the Government's health budget for this year, mental health received €50 million, which equates to 1% of the overall additional health budget. That is what I mean by not enough.

The Sinn Féin spokesperson on mental health, Deputy Ward, is a man for whom I have great admiration -I say this not because he is a party colleague but because he is so passionate about this topic - and he introduced the Mental Health Parity of Esteem Bill 2020.It aims to compel a change in attitudes towards mental health at the highest level of policy making in the Government. Surely, that is what we need. Sinn Féin also introduced the Health (Amendment) (Dual Diagnosis: No Wrong Door) Bill 2021. This important legislation aims to plug the gaps between mental health and addiction services. Despite considerable evidence of interaction between mental health issues and addiction and the possibility that one is a direct result of the other, they are treated almost exclusively as separate conditions. Ensuring access to appropriate treatment for people with dual diagnosis needs is a major policy concern. Sinn Féin recognises that those who are addicted to drugs and alcohol can have mental health disorders and vice versa.

Drug and alcohol misuse is primarily a public health issue. Harm reduction and prevention are guiding principles for Sinn Féin in the development of future drug and alcohol strategies. Treatment and rehabilitation strategies will go hand in hand with recovery initiatives that will help to support people in recovery. Sinn Féin supports an holistic approach to prevention, rehabilitation and recovery.

Unfortunately, a mental health issue is often hidden. It can be subtle in effect but devastating in results. Individuals and families are suffering as we speak - suffering the loss of a loved one due to mental health issues, experiencing issues themselves or looking on as family or friends suffer. Covid-19 has compounded feelings of isolation, loneliness or hopelessness in people who suffered mental health problems before the pandemic began. It has also created strains on people who never experienced mental health issues before and who, for the first time in their lives, are confronted with feelings they never had previously. In July 2020, Mental Health Reform published research that showed significant public demand for greater action from the Government and its agencies to respond to the mental health impact of the pandemic.

The Government needs to recognise the often unseen problem of mental health issues in society and help to prevent a greater problem coming down the line. The Government needs to realise that it has to invest in mental health so that people can get the help they urgently require. We need much more funding and support and urgent action.