Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

140. To ask the Minister for Health if he will confirm that the percentage of the total health budget currently being spent on mental health is 6% and that it was 7.2% in 2006; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22695/15]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

In line with the Programme for Government, my priority as Minister has been to modernise our mental health services, notwithstanding the severe resource constraints overall in recent years, and to prioritise new resources to underpin implementation of A Vision for Change.In that regard, the Government has made available in the region of €791.8 million to the HSE for mental health services in the current year. This figure, which includes the additional funding of €35 million held by the Department of Health the details of which were finalised recently, represents 6.5% of the total health budget. In relation to the 2006 percentage figure it is difficult to carry out a precise comparison, as performance and financial reporting prior to 2014 was done on a geographic basis as opposed to the current Directorate model. However, it is estimated that it would have been approximately 7%.

A total of €125m additional ring-fenced funding has been provided by the Government for mental health since coming into office. This funding has been provided to recruit approximately 1,150 new staff for the ongoing re-configuration of community mental health teams, in particular, and to underpin the development of a recovery-focussed and community-centred service. Bearing in mind the many competing demands on both the wider Health budget and Exchequer funding generally, this represents a substantial ongoing commitment to our mental health services.

Historically, funding for the mental health services constituted a high proportion of overall health spend in Ireland. In part, this reflected the traditional emphasis on an institutional model of service delivery with a clinical care focus. While funding may have been a higher than current percentage of 6.5%, much of this funding would have been spent on what was considered a staff-intensive and relatively expensive model of service. In addition, historically other areas of the overall health budget in Ireland may not have received an adequate level of funding appropriate to a modern community-focussed health service. This has been improved in recent times with, for example, greater investment in primary and community care areas, which also benefits people with mental health issues.

In line with A Vision for Change, the HSE mental health service is now moving towards a more person-centred recovery model of care, with an increasing focus on community delivery. This model of service is widely agreed to be more focussed on the needs of the service user in the first instance. It is also considered to be more cost effective and aims for a planned greater integration of services across the primary and community care sectors over time. Therefore, while every effort will be made to maximise resources for mental health, the promotion and resourcing of positive mental health extends to a much broader range of HSE service areas.