Orla’s letter to the Editor in the Irish Examiner calls on the Government to preserve mental health staffing levels at Budget 2011 levels. “What we must get away from is the notion that we cannot afford to have good mental health services. We cannot afford to have poor mental health services: Mental health difficulties cost the Irish economy around 2%, (approx €2.5 billion), of GNP annually.”
Read Mental Health Reform Director Orla Barry’s piece for thejournal.ie on the use of seclusion in mental health services here.
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Mental Health Services are to get their own Directorate with executive and budgetary powers this autumn, Minister for Mental Health, Kathleen Lynch TD announced yesterday, committing to one of MHR’s key asks.
If you missed Orla Barry, Director, Mental Health Reform on Tonight with Vincent Browne last night, you can watch the video here.
Welcoming the launch of the Mental Health Commission’s Annual Report 2010, Mental Health Reform cautions the HSE against using the recruitment moratorium as a blunt tool. Mental health services have experienced a disproportionate loss of staff as a result of the public sector staff moratorium. 20% of posts lost in the HSE in 2010 were … Read more
The Oireachtas Members’ Briefing Pack on Mental Health was launched at the first meeting of the Cross Party Group on Mental Health in Leinster House yesterday (18/05/11) by Journalist Carol Hunt. Have a read and let us know what you think in the comments.
This paper by Liz Brosnan seeks to understand and explain how the human rights frameworks can offer a different way for mental health activists to engage with the system and influence improvements in how care is delivered.
Artist Gabriella Eviston has kindly gifted her beautiful paintings to Mental Health Reform for a year and it is wonderful to have such inspiring work lighting up our new office.
Mental Health Reform calls for an executive structure, implementation plan and resourcing for delivery of commitments within the new government’s first 100 days.