Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1692. To ask the Minister for Health the progress made since 27 June 2020 to develop a Traveller and Roma mental health action plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18685/21]

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The national mental health policy, ‘Sharing the Vision’, makes a series of recommendations that will improve mental health outcomes for the whole community, including the Traveller and Roma community. ‘Sharing the Vision’ recognises the particular issues faced by different priority groups with respect to mental health and the policy will address these by implementing recommendations that are designed to individualise services to the needs of the user by taking account of his or her unique socio-economic and cultural background.

One of the priority groups specifically mentioned in “Sharing the Vision” is the Traveller community. It is envisaged that Traveller and Roma representation will engage in a significant way with Sharing the Vision’s National Implementation and Monitoring Committee to ensure that the implementation of ‘Sharing the Vision’ will maximise beneficial outcomes for Travellers and Roma.

Government policy strategy for improving the lives of Traveller and Roma communities is outlined in the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy. The strategy is a cross-departmental initiative and contains a set of specific actions aimed at improving the situation for Traveller and Roma communities in Ireland. The Strategy includes 10 actions relating to mental health and suicide among Travellers. There is also an action under NTRIS to implement a detailed action plan to address the specific health needs of Travellers, using a social determinants approach.

It is envisaged that the mental health actions in NTRIS will be incorporated in the Traveller health action plan and will be aligned with the overall approach in Sharing the Vision. This will allow for an integrated and coordinated response to the specific health needs of Travellers, as outlined in NTRIS.

I will continue to engage with my colleague Minister of State Butler, who is response for mental health, to ensure there is an holistic response to the health needs of Travellers and Roma.

Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1693. To ask the Minister for Health the progress made since 27 June 2020 to implement a national Traveller health action plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18686/21]

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy (NTRIS) is the Government policy framework for addressing the health and other needs of Travellers. It contains over 30 health-related actions across four themes. The Dept of Health and the HSE are represented on the steering committee for NTRIS and report on a regular basis on the various health actions.

A key health action in NTRIS (#73) is to develop and implement a detailed action plan to address the specific health needs of Travellers, using a social determinants approach. The lead role in developing the action plan rests with the HSE, in conjunction with Traveller organisations.

The Programme for Government also includes a commitment to implement a National Traveller Health Action plan.

Last year, the HSE established a steering committee to finalise the plan, including representatives of Traveller organisations. I understand that the committee has recently submitted a draft plan to the HSE national director for community strategy and planning. I understand that consideration of the plan and its resource implications has been delayed by the prioritisation of the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccination programme.

I look forward to receiving the agreed action plan and I am fully committed to providing the leadership and resources to ensure the implementation of the plan by the HSE.

Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1694. To ask the Minister for Health the progress made since 27 June 2020 to implementing Sharing the Vision – A Mental Health Policy for Everyone; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18687/21]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Sharing the Visionaims to enhance the provision of mental health services and supports across a broad continuum, from mental health promotion, prevention and early intervention to acute and specialist mental health service delivery, during the period 2020-2030.

A whole-of-government National Implementation Monitoring Committee (NIMC) was established in December 2020 to oversee the implementation of the recommendations in the Policy and to monitor progress. The NIMC is made up of the NIMC Steering Committee, which will be supported by an NIMC Reference Group of Service Users and Families and NIMC Specialist Groups.

The NIMC Steering Committee, independently chaired by Mr John Saunders, is driving the implementation of Sharing the Visionand will ensure appropriate monitoring and oversight processes are put in place. To date, the NIMC Steering Committee has held four monthly business meetings. The next business meeting is scheduled for 14 May 2021. The approved minutes of Steering Committee meetings are available on the Department of Health website. In March, the Steering Committee met over two days, on 11 and 12 March 2021, examine, in some detail, its role and function.

In these early stages, the Steering Committee is focusing on developing and establishing the structures and processes crucial to a full and successful implementation of the new Policy.

The Steering Committee is seeking to progress the formation of specialist groups for specific areas of work. As part of this, the Steering Committee has recently finalised a Process Document, which will formalise the mechanisms by which specialist groups can be established. The Steering Committee will develop priorities to inform the areas in which specialist groups will be formed and the timeframe of formation. It is anticipated that the finalised Process Document and NIMC priorities will enable the NIMC to proceed with the formation of specialist groups in a structured and strategic manner.

Additionally, the Steering Committee is seeking to progress the establishment of the Reference Group of Service Users and Families. To this end, a subgroup of NIMC Steering Committee members has been established to develop an approach.

The HSE has primary responsibility for the implementation of the majority of the Sharing the Visionrecommendations, and is establishing the HSE Implementation Group, which will report to the NIMC Steering Committee. One of the first tasks of the Steering Committee, with the HSE Implementation Group, will be to ascertain ongoing Sharing the Visionaligned tasks and projects.

An implementation monitoring approach to the non-HSE Sharing the Visionrecommendations is currently being progressed by the NIMC Secretariat on behalf of the ,Steering Committee, through interdepartmental and intradepartmental engagement. There is considerable work ongoing across Government that aligns to the recommendations of Sharing the Vision.

I am satisfied that the Committee is progressing well in this initial stage of its work, by building on the following initiatives already underway:

- Many significant recent developments in online mental health service provision and positive mental health promotion have been expedited in response to the ongoing pandemic. These initiatives exemplify the holistic, whole-of-population approach to mental health service development that Sharing the Visionwill be promoting and seeking to advance, in parallel with the development of specialist supports.

- Sharing the Visionrecommends the continued phased implementation and evaluation of existing national clinical programmes in mental health, including Dual Diagnosis, Early Intervention in Psychosis, and Eating Disorders. The clinical programmes, which are in various stages of design and implementation, are at the heart of service improvement. They provide clear pathways to ensure strategic, standardised and evidence-based delivery of services and better outcomes for service users and their families.

- Sharing the Visionadditionally recommends that, in keeping with the evolving understanding of human rights to empower people and improve quality of care in mental healthcare facilities, legislation must be updated and additional supports put in place. This is currently being addressed in the review of the Mental Health Act, 2001, which is undergoing a major overhaul, with draft heads of a new bill expected to be published in the very near future.

Finally, I am pleased to have secured an additional €50 million for mental health services in 2021, bringing the annual budget to in excess of €1 billion. €23 million of this additional funding is dedicated to commencing implementation of many of the short-term recommendations of Sharing the Vision, includingenhanced resources for community mental health teams, CAMHS hubs/teams, adult crisis resolution services, increased supports in employment, peer support workers, bereavement co-ordination, and dialectical behaviour therapy,

Work is progressing in these areas, including the recruitment of the 153 new mental health staff this year.

Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1695. To ask the Minister for Health the progress made since 27 June 2020 to expanding jigsaw services and their network of early intervention and prevention services and supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18688/21]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1696. To ask the Minister for Health the progress made since 27 June 2020 to expanding the national roll-out of the model care for specialist perinatal mental health; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18689/21]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.