More than 60 leaders in the voluntary and community sector have signed an open letter calling on the Taoiseach, Simon Harris to increase funding for mental health services in the upcoming budget.
The letter, published by Mental Health Reform and its member organisations and allies, urges the Government to invest an additional €120M to address severe deficits in the mental health system.
Signatories of the letter include the chief executives of Pieta, Jigsaw, Barnardos, Alone, Bodywhys, Shine and St. Patrick’s Mental Health Services.
Philip Watt, Interim CEO, Mental Health Reform said: “For years, Mental Health Reform has called for appropriate funding for mental health services. Over the past decade, the percentage of the health budget allocated to mental health has never surpassed 6%. The Government has perpetually failed to meet its commitment in Sláintecare to increase mental health funding to 10% of the health budget. In stark contrast, the UK is spending over 14% of its health budget on mental health.
Persistent underfunding is having a long-term impact on the mental health system. Ireland ranks highest in Europe for difficulty accessing mental health services. People face long delays for treatment, inconsistent standards of care, and severe staffing shortages. Children and families in particular are unable to access appropriate or timely intervention.
We are deeply concerned by the recurrent lack of new development funding for the HSE’s National Clinical Programmes for mental health. Staffing levels across the country are significantly behind target. The Government had committed to recruiting 68 teams by the end of 2024. Currently, there are only 28 teams in operation. Funding shortfalls have severely limited the availability of life-saving treatment for people with eating disorders, psychosis, dual diagnosis and other complex needs.
In Ireland, only 1% of health expenditure is allocated to preventative measures. However, any investment in prevention can yield two to four times the economic return. The voluntary and community sector is committed to improving mental health outcomes through prevention and early intervention. Investment in these services is key to preventing the development of complex mental health difficulties and reducing the need for costly acute care.
Since the pandemic, pressures on the voluntary and community sector have reached unsustainable levels. Organisations in the sector have reported an unprecedented demand for mental health supports alongside serious funding challenges.
Despite rising demand, there has been little to no sustainable funding increase for the sector in recent years. The Government’s funding model is piecemeal, inadequate and short-sighted. The lack of multi-annual funding impacts the sector’s ability to recruit and retain staff and hampers the development of vital services that are needed now.
In our pre-budget submission, Mental Health Reform recommends an investment of an additional €120M for mental health in Budget 2025. This includes an additional €25M to assist voluntary and community organisations to provide prevention and early intervention services. €10M must be allocated to youth mental health services to support children and young people with mental health difficulties.
A minimum of €40M must be invested in the implementation of our national mental health policy, Sharing the Vision. This includes the expansion of the HSE’s National Clinical Programmes for mental health.
As the Programme for Government draws to a close, the Taoiseach has an opportunity to build a mental health system that we can be proud of. This can only be achieved through political leadership and sustainable investment in mental health services.”
Mental Health Reform is calling for an investment of €120M in the following areas:
- €25M: Support the delivery of mental health services in the voluntary and community mental health sector including prevention and early intervention. Provide multi-annual, sustainable funding to the voluntary and community mental health sector.
- €40M: Invest in the implementation of our national mental health policy, Sharing the Vision. Provide funding for the expansion of the HSE’s national clinical programmes in mental health including Dual Diagnosis, Self-Harm/Suicide, Early Intervention in Psychosis, Eating Disorders, ADHD and Perinatal Mental Health. Fund a targeted strategic capital investment programme for inpatient mental health units to improve buildings and facilities.
- €10M: Invest in community-based youth mental health programmes in the voluntary and community mental health sector. Fully resource the HSE Child and Youth Mental Health Office and their upcoming Action Plan. Implement the 49 recommendations in the Mental Health Commission’s 2023 Independent Review of CAMHS to improve the quality of services for children and young people.
- €5M: Introduce the Bill to reform the Mental Health Act, 2001 without delay and adequately resource reform. Fund a national independent advocacy service for mental health for all ages. Resource the full implementation of the Integrated Financial and Procurement Management System (IFMS) and introduce budgetary tagging across the Wellbeing Framework to provide transparency in how mental health funding is allocated.
- €40M: Provide funding to maintain existing services in the mental health system.
