€120M needed for mental health services in Budget, says Mental Health Reform

Mental Health Reform has launched its Budget 2025 Submission, urging the Government to stop underfunding mental health services.

The national coalition for mental health has recommended that additional investment of at least €120M is needed in Budget 2025 to deliver urgent reforms in the mental health system.

This includes €40M to maintain existing levels of service and €80M for the development of new mental health services to address unmet need.

Fiona Coyle, CEO, Mental Health Reform said: “Ireland has the highest difficulty in accessing mental health services in Europe. Many people with mental health difficulties, particularly children and families, are unable to access appropriate or timely intervention in the public health system due to funding shortfalls.”

Since 2020, the percentage of the health budget allocated to mental health has decreased from 6% to 5.6%. The Government has 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.

We are urging the Government to increase spending on mental health to 6% of the total health budget by 2025. This is the minimum amount required to meet the needs of our population.

In the four years since the pandemic, there has been a meagre increase in mental health funding despite an unprecedented demand for mental health care. Low levels of investment are leading to ongoing delays in the development of new services, geographical disparities in the availability of treatment, and unacceptable waiting lists.

Currently, a disproportionate amount of the health budget is spent on acute health care while only 1% of health expenditure is allocated to preventative measures. However, any investment in prevention can yield two to four times the economic benefit. The Government must increase investment in prevention and early intervention to reduce the need for costly acute care.

The voluntary and community sector plays a crucial role in the delivery of prevention and early intervention including education, talk therapies, helplines and peer support. Since the pandemic, the sector has been under severe pressure due to inflation, high volumes of referrals and inadequate funding. Mental Health Reform is calling for an additional €25M for voluntary and community providers to meet the growing demand for services.

Investment in Budget 2025 is critical to address the deficits in child and youth mental health services. In 2023, there were over 23,870 referrals to CAMHS, representing a 37% increase

from 2020. Many of the children trying to access CAMHS are in significant distress however they receive no support while waiting months for assessment and treatment. This can have a detrimental impact on a child’s quality of life, resulting in social isolation, anxiety and reduced school attendance.

The Government must increase funding for community-based youth mental health programmes to ensure children and young people receive immediate support close to home. Investment is also required to fully resource the new HSE Child and Youth Mental Health Office and its upcoming Action Plan.

The new Mental Health Bill has significant potential to improve mental health care for children and young people. Under the proposed changes, the Mental Health Commission’s role will be expanded to regulate CAMHS and community centres. We urgently need stronger regulation and oversight to restore trust in CAMHS.

It is vital that the passing of the Bill is backed by investment in Budget 2025. At a minimum, an additional €3 Million is required to expand the Mental Health Commission’s regulatory remit and recruit more HSE Authorised Officers to support the involuntary admission process.”

Mental Health Reform is calling for an investment of €80 in development funding for the following areas:

·        €25M: Support the delivery of mental health services in the voluntary and community mental health sector including prevention and early intervention.

·         €40M: Invest in the implementation of our national mental health policy, Sharing the Vision. 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.