Mental health services subject of crisis meeting

UP TO 40 groups representing the mentally ill will hold a crisis meeting today to draw up a list of demands for improvements in mental health services.

The lobby groups, which include Amnesty International, are preparing the wish list in advance of a meeting with Health Minister Micheál Martin, who is due to launch a review of the services shortly.

Amnesty International’s Fiona Crowley said the country’s mental health services continue to lag behind international best practice and the situation had gone beyond breaking point.

“Some local health boards have devised very good plans yet are being superseded by national policy which isn’t up to scratch. The areas of greatest need have the fewest resources. There are people in prison with no facilities to treat them, children are in adult wards and the list goes on and on,” she said.

The round table meeting takes place as the terms of reference for the review are being drawn up. Amnesty has called on the minister to allow organisations with experience of dealing with mental illness to have their say.

Ms Crowley said the planned review would fail, as past expert groups and reviews carried out by the department had done, unless the recommendations of those on the ground were considered.

One in four Irish people are estimated to be affected by mental ill health, and although Ireland ratified a UN covenant recognising the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of mental health, serious deficiencies still exist.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health said all areas of mental health policy and service provision would be examined in any review and all interested parties be consulted.