Written answers

Thursday, 2 March 2006

Department of Health and Children

Mental Health Services

5:00 pm

Photo of Caoimhghín Ó CaoláinCaoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 116: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the action she proposes to take to implement the mental health expert group's report, A Vision for Change; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8743/06]

Tim O'Malley (Limerick East, Progressive Democrats)
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The report of the expert group on mental health policy, A Vision for Change, was launched on 24 January 2006. The report proposes a holistic view of mental illness and recommends an integrated multi-disciplinary approach to addressing the biological, psychological and social factors that contribute to mental health problems. It proposes a person centred treatment approach that addresses each of these elements through an integrated care plan, reflecting best practice and evolved and agreed with service users and their carers. Special emphasis is given to the need to involve service users and their families and carers at every level of service provision.

This policy envisions an active, flexible and community based mental health service where the need for hospital admission will be greatly reduced. It will require substantial funding but there is considerable equity in buildings and lands within the current mental health system, which could be realised to fund this plan. Therefore, this report recommends that steps be taken to bring about the closure of all psychiatric hospitals and to re-invest the resources released by these closures in the mental health service. The closure of large mental hospitals and the move to modern units attached to general hospitals, together with the expansion of community services, has been Government policy since the publication of Planning for the Future in 1984.

The Health Service Executive, which has primary responsibility for implementing the recommendations of the expert report, has stated the national mental health directorate within the HSE will immediately establish an implementation group to ensure that the recommendations are realised in a timely and co-ordinated manner. I will also shortly appoint a group at national level, as recommended in the report, to monitor the implementation of its recommendations.

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