The Health Service Executive (HSE) is to invest €41 million on improving mental health services following the publication of a report calling for radical reforms in the sector.
The HSE said in a statement it would spend €15 million on mental health service development in 2005 and a further €26 million on improving or replacing "outdated or inadequate infrastructure".
Dr Teresa Carey, Inspector of the Mental Health Services
The first comprehensive annual report by the Inspector of Mental Health Services found fundamental systematic failures in the provision of services, which it says is a result of how such services were developed in the past.
"There are clear signs of fragmentation. The mental health services have developed without any national driver and as a result, they lacked cohesion," said Dr Teresa Carey, Inspector of the Mental Health Services.
The report criticises the lack of development of specialist services for those suffering with serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia. It also says that the move towards community-based care has been unsuccessful, with a large number of long-stay patients remaining in services.
The team who conducted the report also criticised the way that the Central Mental Hospital was run, saying that conditions were "extremely poor and of an unacceptable standard".
The inspector found that there was a lack of information and clinical governance systems within
mental health services and that management structures were seriously undeveloped. "The first thing that surprised us when compiling the report was the difficulty in obtaining basic information," said Dr Carey.
According to the report, new management, information, and accountability systems need to be implemented to ensure that quality services are available universally.
Moreover, the inspector recommends there should be better sharing of management responsibilities between clinicians and professional managers. It also calls for the setting up of a management structure that would allow effective management at clinical, regional and national level.
"I hope our recommendations will be taken on board," said Dr Carey. "With the new health reforms in place, now is the ideal opportunity to implement a new management structure which combines clinical and management expertise to plan and and resource the mental health services."
Martin Rogan, HSE's National Care Group Manager for Mental Health, said he welcomed the report "as it clearly identifies areas of concern and opportunities to improve our mental health services".
He said the executive was "anxious to develop accessible services which are of the highest standard and quality".