Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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633. To ask the Minister for Health in reference to recommendation 20.5 of A Vision for Change, the identity of the current chair and members of the monitoring group; the date of their last submitted report; the details of his response to that report; the actions taken to address any issues identified; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17830/14]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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A Vision for Changerecommended the establishment of an Independent Monitoring Group to oversee its implementation in line with recommendation 20.5. The Monitoring Group reported annually and produced a final Annual Report in June 2012 after 7 years, having regard to what had been implemented under A Vision for Change.The final Annual Report welcomed the continued closure of unfit for purpose facilities in favour of modern community based approaches, the decision to develop a new Forensic Mental Health Service and the many local and regional initiatives being developed in line with AVFC. However, the Monitoring Group also reported that the implementation of AVFC to date had been slow and inconsistent and recommended the establishment of National Mental Health Service Directorate, the development of an implementation plan and the development of multidisciplinary community mental health teams.

AVFC contained a commitment that it would be reviewed after 7 years. It was decided to give priority to the review the Mental Health Act 2001, after which consideration would again be given to reviewing AVFC and establishing independent monitoring arrangements. I expect that the review of the Act will be completed and presented to me in the coming months. In the light of the decision to review the 2001 Act, the Independent Monitoring Group was not re-appointed at the end of the 7-year period.

In the intervening period, and taking account of the final Annual Report of the Monitoring Group in 2012, this Government has prioritised the continued implementation and reform of our mental health services in line with AVFC. It is committed, in particular, to the delivery of more and better quality care in the community.Since 2012, an additional €90 million and some 1,100 posts have been provided for up to end 2014, primarily to strengthen Community Mental Health Teams for both adults and children and to enhance specialist community mental health services for older people with a mental illness, those with an intellectual disability and mental illness, and Forensic mental health services.

The establishment last year of the HSE Mental Health Services Division and the appointment of the National Director for Mental Health, delivers on a key recommendation of AVFC. This new Division carries operational and financial authority and accountability for all mental services. I expect that this new structure within the HSE will accelerate the pace of change in the development of our mental health services.

The Department of Health works closely with the HSE Mental Health Directorate on all aspects of planning and implementation around A Vision for Change. The HSE's National Service Plan for 2014, which sets out the type and volume of health and social services the HSE will provide during the course of this year, also commits to a number of new key deliverables in 2014, including continuing to progress the multi-annual priorities from previous years, implementing the Access Protocol for 16 and 17 year olds to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, and reconfiguring General Adult Community Mental Health Teams to serve populations of 50,000 as recommended in AVFC. AccordinglyA Vision for Change has been given a renewed focus in this year's Service Plan, where the HSE has specifically committed to develop an implementation plan at the operational level for the last 3 years of its term. During 2014, the HSE will also develop a Standard Model of Care and will focus on developing a major work stream within the Mental Health Clinical Programme, informed by engagement with internal and external stakeholders. Both initiatives are fully in line with the objectives behind the original recommendation 20.5 inA Vision for Change.