‘1,600 mental health posts unfilled’

NEW figures show that more than 1,600 mental health posts remain unfilled.

Data released by the HSE to Fianna Fáil mental health spokesman James Browne showed a total of 1,637 posts need to be recruited to fully implement the mental health initiative, A Vision Of Change.

The figures show that more than 500 posts are yet to be filled within both the child and adolescent and the general adult teams.

Both the Psychiatry Of Later Life department and the Adult’s Mental Health Intellectual Disability teams are awaiting more than 200 additional workers each. Meanwhile, as of September 2018, a further 147 posts were yet to be filled in the children’s MHID department, with only 7% of the required positions occupied.

Mr Browne said these figures show the mental health system is still falling short in terms of staff numbers.

‘We are now into the 14th year of what was originally a tenyear plan. Incredibly it could take another 15 years to put in place the personnel needed to implement this plan,’ he said. ‘Children’s mental services are especially under-resourced. Just over half the number of staff required for child and adolescent mental health services are in place.’

He described the figures regarding the children’s MHID team as ‘truly shocking’.

‘The number of mental health staff increased by 107 in 2018,’ Mr Browne continued.

‘At this rate of recruitment it will take another 15 years for the full complement of staff to be in place – the year 2034.

‘That would be 28 years to implement a ten-year plan. It’s just not good enough.’

The HSE was contacted for comment.