Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 July 2023
1123. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Health if his Department has received the submission from a group (details supplied); his views on the report; if he will meet the group in question; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35767/23]
View answerThis Government remains committed to the development of all aspects of mental health services nationally, including those for children and young people. The total allocation for mental health services in 2023 is over €1.2 billion, another record budget for mental health services. A key objective is to improve access and address CAMHS waiting lists, in light of increasing demand and case complexity.
Around €137 million is provided to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) annually. In addition, over €90 million has been provided to community-based mental health organisations this year, with a significant proportion of this dedicated to supporting child and young people.
The Programme for Government commits to improve all aspects of CAMHS in line with Sharing the Vision, Connecting for Life, and the annual HSE Service Plans. In addition, I recently completed a series of high-level roundtables bringing together the Department of Health, HSE, and other key stakeholders in youth mental health to drive improvement in CAMHS with a focus on executive leadership, clinical expertise and service provision.
The 35 recommendations arising from the Maskey report reviewing South Kerry CAMHS care will help improve all aspects of CAMHS care nationally. The 35 recommendations led to 63 actions, 19 of which (national and local) have been implemented, with others underway. To provide assurance to those who use CAMHS, the HSE has commissioned independent national audits in relation to: prescribing practice, compliance with Operational Guidelines, and research into service user experiences of CAMHS.
I await the outcomes of all audits underway on CAMHS nationally, including the final report of the independent review by the Mental Health Commission on CAMHS nationally. This will help to help inform any next steps necessary regarding CAMHS.
Unfortunately, I am not in a position to meet with this Group over the forseeable future, but I will keep the matter under review. However, I have received the report referred to in the Deputy’s question and I have asked officials in the Department to arrange a meeting with the Group at an early date.
