The Irish Mental Health Coalition welcomes the joint publication of the Fine Gael and Labour parties. We note that this is the first public policy announcement from the Fine Gael and Labour alliance.

 

The Irish Mental Health Coalition welcomes the initiatives set out in ‘Reaching Recovery’ and notes that many of them replicate the recommendations set out in “A Vision for Change’ the report of the recent Expert Group on Mental Health Policy which has now been adopted as Government and Health Service Executive policy.

 

Specifically the Mental Health Coalition applauds the Fine Gael and Labour alliance for proposing major increase in the funding dedicated to suicide prevention. Suicide is now one of the major causes of sudden death in Ireland and it is widely acknowledged that many people who die by suicide have experience of severe mental health difficulties.

 

The Coalition specifically welcomes the commitment in the document to establishing comprehensive community mental healthcare teams, to the principle of early intervention and the closing of outdated mental health institutions. Furthermore the critical issue of manpower is also addressed in this report. Mental health services are suffering from a lack of manpower in the area of psychology, occupational therapy and social work. Steps need to be taken now to ensure that an adequate supply of these professionals are available in years to come for a new mental healthcare service.

 

One the matter of prisons the Coalition welcomes the call for people with severe mental health difficulties in the prison service to be provided for by the Department of Health and for all prison services to have robust psychological services.

 

The Coalition specifically welcomes the reference to the need for improved services for people suffering from eating disorders. This is an issue, which has not been given adequate attention in Ireland to date, and requires urgent attention. Likewise the need to enhance services for children and adolescents is welcomed as this can be seen as a preventative approach to reducing other mental health difficulties in the adult population in the future.

 

Finally the Coalition welcomes the fact that the Fine Gael and Labour announcement bases all of its recommendations on two fundamental principles; recovery and human rights. If these principles are used to underpin all new mental healthcare services then services will be developed which meet the real needs of individuals and their families. 

 

 

 

-ENDS-

 For further information or comments, please contact:

-John Saunders, Chair of the Irish Mental Health Coalition and Director of Schizophrenia Ireland: 087-9271292 or 01 860 1620

-Fiona Crowley, Research & Legal Manager of Amnesty: 087-250 5551 or 01 677 6361

-Jennie O’Reilly, CEO of Bodywhys – The Eating Disorders Association of Ireland: 01 2834963

-John Redican, CEO of the Irish Advocacy Network: 087-9128507 

-Aoife Walsh, National Communications Officer of GROW in Ireland: 01 8408236