Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

489. To ask the Minister for Health the measures he is taking to allocate extra funding to provide free and low cost counselling to persons on lower incomes who require mental health interventions in a timely manner; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5724/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Counselling is provided across the health service, by both the HSE and the voluntary sector including primary care, social care and within mental health. This type of service can be provided by a range of trained health professionals and delivered to meet a clinical need at either primary or secondary care level.

The Counselling in Primary Care (CIPC) service is a national service funded from the Programme for Government investment in Mental Health, to increase the access to counselling and psychotherapy and supplementing existing services provided by Primary Care. Since 2012, €7.5 million has been provided to develop the CIPC service. The service provides short-term counselling for adults with non-complex psychological problems aged 18 years and over and who hold a valid medical card. Every effort is made to see people as quickly as possible, however there are a number of people waiting extended periods many of whom will have specific requirements, for example, they can only attend on a specific day or time or may wish to be seen in a particular area. In some areas, there is a particular difficulty accessing accommodation in which to see clients, which in turn impacts on waiting times. This is an issue in some of the smaller rural areas and one that the HSE is working to resolve.

Within the specialist secondary care mental health service counselling and psychotherapy are provided within community mental health teams when service users are clinically assessed as requiring this intervention and they are provided by a health professional on the team. Counselling is also provided by a range of voluntary organisations across the health service and HSE’s National Office for Suicide Prevention funds voluntary organisations such as Pieta House and Console to provide support across a range of needs.

The HSE National Service Plan for 2016 commits to ring-fencing a proportion of the €35m programme for Government funding for counselling services for young people under 18 years to be developed in collaboration with HSE Primary Care. In addition, the programme for Government funding will also be utilised for continued development of general adult teams and child and adolescent mental health services, as well as improved 24-7 responses and liaison services and to address specific mental health care needs of homeless persons in 2016.