Policy Pronouncements – Fine Gael/Labour on Mental Health

It seems agreed that the election has begun and we have been met by the first policy pronouncement of the campaign. The issue is upstaging Fianna Fail Mental Health. An area of policy not accustomed to such a prominent position. Fine Gael and Labour may be keeping the powder dry with the big areas but there is still some stuff to go on. Interestingly we also have statements giving direction to the policies due to be released over the autumn time. (Below is some cutting and pasting, have a butchers)

Principles

Throughout our discussions, a number of themes have recurred. Again and again, we have found ourselves coming back to a number of key concerns, which affect, not just the individual areas of health, crime and the economy, but the whole of Government.

We discussed these in more detail today, and we have agreed on a number of guiding principles which will be reflected in our agreed plans, and will influence both our future discussions, and our approach to Government.

These are:

• Our Government will be in touch – we will bring Government back to the concerns of families and communities
• Our Government will deliver value for money – as outlined in the Buck Stops Here
• Our Government will be accountable – we will accept responsibility for improving public services, and we will expect public services to be accountable to the people they serve
• Our Government will be joined-up – we will not allow key concerns to be lost in the gap between Departments.
• Our Government will be decisive, positive and pro-active – we will not allow problems to fester in the hope that they will disappear. We do not believe that the problems Ireland faces in areas such as health and crime are intractable or insoluble. Rather we believe that our Government can make a real and tangible impact, which will improve the lives of families and communities across the country.

The task we have set ourselves is unique in the history of the state. Never before have two political parties entered into such detailed policy discussions in advance of a general election. The documents we will publish will give the people a clear insight into the kind of Government we are offering the Irish people. If elected, they will provide us with a clear mandate for reform, to deliver real and meaningful change, to govern in the interests of the people, and to build both a successful economy and a Fair Society. We will make certain that an Ireland at peace, working towards reconciliation, plays its full part in the world around us, and honours its commitments to the developing world.

Mental Health Policy

Fine Gael and Labour recognise that the mental health services have been neglected and under-funded and are resolved to change this. These are the Key Components of Our Plan:

Adult Mental Health Services

We will build and foster positive mental health across the community and provide accessible, community based, fully staffed, multi-disciplined services for people with mental illness. The provision of these services will be brought at least on par with the general health services both in hospital and community services. Specific commitments include:

• Put in place multidisciplinary community mental health teams, thus reducing the need for in-patient care. Early and consistent intervention is the most effective way of helping those experiencing mental illness to recover or to manage their personal situation.
• Close those psychiatric institutions which are inappropriate for their purpose and which undermine the dignity of their patients. However, this will only happen when we have put in place adequate out-patient services. Funds from the sale of these institutions will be ring-fenced for mental health services.
• Long term manpower strategy to address staff shortages.
• Appoint adequate number of psychologists to all prisons.

Suicide

Suicide rates are rising exponentially. Labour and Fine Gael will introduce a suicide prevention strategy, the fundamental aim of which is to prevent suicide and deliberate self-harm and to reduce level of suicide ideation in the general population. Continuous quality control and ongoing modification and improvement of the strategy will be central to its implementation. Specific commitments include:

• Increase the budget of the National Suicide Prevention Office to €10 million initially and to €20 million over 5 years.
• Provide a comprehensive package for all primary and secondary schools, including mental health programmes and comprehensive counselling services.
• Formal structured partnerships between the voluntary and community sector and the statutory sector to strengthen community-based suicide prevention strategies and bereavement support.

Child and Adolescent Services

We know that the lack of attention given to the mental health of children and adolescents can lead to mental disorders with lifelong consequences, undermine compliances with mental health regimens and reduce the capacity of society to be safe and productive. The mental health service alone cannot respond to the mental health needs of children and adolescents in isolation. They are the concern of a wide range of services and agencies such as education, community care and paediatric medicine. Fine Gael and Labour will increase the number of multidisciplinary community based child and adolescent psychiatric services and provide the required in-patient facilities. Specific commitments include:

• Act to solve the crisis in child and adolescent psychiatric services by increasing specialist out-patient teams by 50 per cent and bring the established team up to the recommended staffing complement.
• Ensure early intervention. To cover the crucial period during adolescence and early adulthood adequately, we propose a Youth Mental Health initiative which is aimed at teachers and other adults who have frequent contact with young people.
• Develop specialist child and adolescent intellectual disability services, establish specialist eating disorder services, develop multidisciplinary teams nationally to deal with addiction and increase the in-patient facilities to meet the needs of the 0–15-year age group and the in-patient needs of the 16 to 17-year old age group.