MORE than 50 leaders in the community and voluntary sector have signed an open letter calling on the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin to prioritise funding for mental health services in the upcoming budget.
The letter, published by Mental Health Reform and its member organisations, urges the Government to invest €85M in Ireland’s mental health services to address the mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Its signatories include Dr Joseph Duffy, CEO, Jigsaw; Elaine Austin, CEO, Pieta House; Seán Moynihan, CEO, ALONE and Tom Maher, Director of Services, St. Patrick’s Mental Health Services.
Fiona Coyle, CEO, Mental Health Reform said: “COVID-19 has adversely affected the physical and mental well-being of many people in Ireland. Thousands more people have come forward to access mental health services during this difficult period.
Successive Governments have failed to provide adequate resources for Ireland’s mental health services, resulting in serious underdevelopment over many decades. COVID-19 has placed pressure on an over-stretched and fragile mental health system. A legacy of underinvestment and staff shortages have led to long waiting lists and growing delays.
The last 18 months have been a hugely challenging period for our members in the community and voluntary sector. Many organisations have reported a rise in demand for their services. Our recent Brave New Connections survey shows that 76% of non-profit mental health organisations have reported changes in their service user profile, including increased numbers seeking support and greater severity of mental health difficulties.
Organisations have had to rapidly adapt their services and deliver new models of care to those in need. Our survey also shows that 95% of non-profit mental health organisations have moved some or all of their services and activities online. We are calling on the Government to increase funding for the community and voluntary sector so that it can continue to innovate and meet growing demand on a sustainable basis.
As we move to the next phase of the pandemic, it is time to make mental health a national priority. Addressing the mental health needs of our nation will require investment and political leadership from the Taoiseach.
Without investment, we run the risk of many more people needing crisis support. A timely and appropriate response from the Government will be critical to ensuring that mental health difficulties are not compounded by long delays.
With just days remaining until Budget 2022, the Government must seize this opportunity to strengthen our mental health services. Now more than ever we need a fit-for-purpose, culturally inclusive, responsive mental health system in which people can access the care they need when they need it.”
Mental Health Reform is calling for investment in the following areas
– Increase spending on mental health from 5.1% to 10% of the total health budget by 2024
– Invest €15M in the community and voluntary sector to support the delivery of mental health services including counselling and psychotherapy
– Prioritise the recruitment of primary care psychologists and assistant psychologists to reduce waiting times and divert referrals from specialist services
– Invest €2M in national advocacy services for children and adults with mental health difficulties in hospital, prison, residences and in the community
– Provide €6.5M for the national expansion of the CAMHS Connect model to improve out of hours crisis intervention mental health services for children and young people
-Invest €7.8M in National Clinical Programmes to meet specific mental health needs
– Invest in affordable housing for people with mental health disabilities including €1M to maintain 10 Tenancy Sustainment Officer posts
– Invest €5.5M to improve mental health supports in the prison system
– Invest in the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) approach to support people with mental health difficulties to achieve sustainable employment
