The Mental Health Commission has said the buck stops with the Government and health minister after its latest annual report said continuing failings in the mental health system indicate “a lack of interest and motivation” from those in authority.

DISABILITY groups have said it is “totally unacceptable” that the Health Service Executive cannot provide adequate child psychiatric services because it is spending most of the budget on its statutory obligation to assess all children under the age of five for potential problems.

THE Government’s failure to match the promise of a new era for psychiatric patients with better services for the most vulnerable in society illustrates the cynical reality that politicians see no votes in mental health.