Written answers

Tuesday, 22 May 2012

Department of Health

Mental Health Services

9:00 pm

Photo of Tommy BroughanTommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 680: To ask the Minister for Health his plans for cross-departmental cooperation with the Departments of Justice and Equality and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs on a range of issues in the area of eating disorder services including the licensing of psychotherapists and counsellors, new eating disorder education programmes and the growth of websites promoting eating disorders as a lifestyle choice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25565/12]

Photo of Kathleen LynchKathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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There is on-going cross-departmental cooperation on a wide range of issues, including many relating to mental health, between my Department and the two Government Departments to which the Deputy refers. HSE services for people with eating disorders are embedded in the Community Mental Health Service and in Primary Care. Individuals with eating disorders frequently present to the primary care practitioner with complications of their condition and early intervention at this level greatly improves outcomes.

The HSE has developed a Mental Health in Primary Care accredited training programme for primary care practitioners with Dublin City University with a view to enhancing the capacity of primary care to recognise, assess and treat a range of mental illnesses, including eating disorders, within the primary care setting. Community based Adult Mental Health Services receive referrals from Primary Care and provide assessment and treatment to individuals with eating disorders; Child and Adolescent Mental Health Teams provide a similar role for their cohort of referrals. Where the individual's psychiatric or medical needs are more acute, in-patient admission is offered within the local psychiatric services or acute medical care where necessary. The HSE also provides funding to Bodywhys, the national voluntary organisation supporting those with eating disorders which provides a range of support services for people affected including specific services for families and friends. Bodywhys also works closely with the Health Promotion Departments throughout the HSE.

The internet is an international and worldwide phenomenon which has no borders and no single organisation controlling it. Therefore efforts to combat harmful materials and activities on it can be hampered by the multiplicity of jurisdictions, differing legal systems and differing societal norms. In this particular instance, many of the pro-eating disorder websites which the Deputy refers to may be hosted outside this jurisdiction, principally in the United States, and as such they would be subject to the US jurisdiction. Any action that could be taken against them here would be limited. While acknowledging these difficulties, it should be emphasised that there is a self-regulatory framework in place for internet service providers in Ireland. The Internet Service Providers Association of Ireland Code of Practice and Ethics sets out clear guidelines and minimum standards in respect of dealing with complaints regarding suspected illegal material online.

With regard to the regulation of psychotherapists and counsellors, the priority of the Department of Health for the foreseeable future is the statutory registration of the "conventional" therapies, through the full establishment of the Health and Social Care Professionals Council. Before statutory registration can be considered for other therapies, such as counselling and psychotherapy, there is a need for each individual therapy to federate so that it can advise, as a single voice, on professional standards. This was a recommendation of the Report of the National Working Group on the Regulation of Complementary Therapists.

The Higher Education and Training Awards Council is currently working with representatives of the professional bodies and higher education institutions that provide courses in counselling and psychotherapy, along with international experts, to determine national standards of knowledge, skill and competence to be required for the award of higher education qualifications in these fields. While academic qualifications are not sufficient in themselves as a means of professional regulation, agreement on academic standards does form a critical building block for any modern regulatory system for professions.

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