Political parties have been urged to commit to the appointment of a national director for mental health services within the Health Service Executive (HSE) and to increasing the portion of health spending channelled into the area from 5 to 8 per cent.
Mental Health Reform, which campaigns for improved and prioritised mental health services, has called on voters to highlight the importance of the matter when speaking to candidates ahead of the election and for the parties themselves to commit to a series of substantive reforms.
In its election manifesto, which was published today, Mental Health Reform says prospective government parties must put forward an implementation plan and timeline for the national mental health strategy A Vision for Change, as elements of the plan have been pushed back since its introduction five-years ago.
"Since its launch in 2006, implementation of A Vision for Change has been slow, leaving mental health to continue as the 'Cinderella' of the health services," Mental Health Reform director Orla Barry said. "At the current rate of progress it will not be implemented - even by the outside target of 2016."
The manifesto also calls for greater progress in closing "inappropriate Victorian mental health instutions" and for extra resources to be provided to replace these with community based mental health services.
It says extra staff should be recruited to work in the area as a disproportionate number of workers leaving the HSE last year were mental health staff.
Mental Health Reform also says the next government should enact legislation placing an obligation on the HSE to inspect community based mental health services. It says existing legislation to protect people who lack capacity to make decisions for themselves becasue of a mental health difficulty also needs to be updated.
