This article is from page 6 of the 2012-04-10 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 6 JPG
SPECIAL deals done between governments and individual TDs have been blamed for the slow pace of reform to mental health services in Ireland.
Minister of State for Health, Kathleen Lynch told a meeting in Ennis last week that it was “scandalous” that people would cut deals to the detriment of vital services just to keep a government in power.
Ms Lynch said, “I think governments were too reliant on single TDs in different constituencies.”
The Labour TD for Cork North Central, whose areas of responsibility include mental health, told the meeting that implementation of mental health reforms contained in the 2006 ‘Vision for Change’ document was often impeded during previous administrations “because votes were too tight”.
Ms Lynch was the guest speaker at a forum on mental health held in the Old Ground Hotel in Ennis last Tuesday.
Ms Lynch told the Clare meeting that she had received the most recent report from the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
She said that while annual detailed records are available for all young people accessing CAMHS, such records are not available in adult mental health services.
Ms Lynch described this lack of detailed information as a “scandal.”
The meeting heard that there are currently 60 CAMHS teams working in Ireland, 39 less than the target outlined in Vision for Change.
Ms Lynch said that € 35 million had been ringfenced in this year’s budget for mental health services.
She said that an additional 19 CAMHS posts had been allocated for this year.
Ms Lynch told the meeting that mental health had always been the “Cinderella” of the health services but that increased awareness “will take it out of the shadows”.