Mental health paying price for underfunding of health service

I refer to your report titled ”Government urged to reaffirm commitment to mental health” (Irish Examiner, Oct 23) in which Minister with Responsibility for Mental Health, Kathleen Lynch, states that the €15m dropped from the mental health budget of €35m specifically set aside and ringfenced in 2014 to populate and enhance the roll-out of a community mental health service, will be restored in 2015.

The record of this Government, like previous ones, on mental health has been dismal. When A Vision for Change (AVFC) was published in 2006, that report stated that 8.5% of the health budget would be required to implement its recommendation. In 2006, 6.5% of health spending was committed to mental health spending and this was to be increased to 8.5% of health spending as the roll-out of a comprehensive community mental health service was commenced.

However, six years later spending on mental health services has in fact fallen to 4.8% of the health budget in 2012. In many areas of the country AVFC has become a non-event, with the reverse happening and existing community and institutional services being closed and reduced.

How can Minister Lynch claim she is committed to mental health when mental health services are closing and budgets are being reduced? Also, over the past number of years an annual sum of €35m was set aside to develop and staff the community mental health teams. In reality, the €35m has never been spent for this purpose, or the projected staff numbers ever recruited. Instead, varying amounts of the €35m have been siphoned off to plug holes in other areas of the health service each year.

At least Colm Keaveney TD is being honest in telling it how it is when he states: ‘Our mental health services have been subject to chronic under-funding since independence, with detrimental effects being imposed on individuals and families.’ I wish Minister Lynch could be as honest.

Cormac Williams

Branch Organiser

Psychiatric Nurses’ Association

Kerry