Government Policy
With 55,000 Irish people living with dementia, and half a million living in families affected by dementia the launch of the National Dementia Awareness Campaign – Understand Together was welcomed by Minister for Mental Health and Older People Helen McEntee who stressed the importance of this scheme: Each year 4,000 people in Ireland develop a […]
Minister of State for Communities and the National Drugs Strategy, Catherine Byrne TD, has announced details of a public consultation on the new National Drugs Strategy which will set out Government policy on tackling the drug problem from 2017 onwards. The Department is seeking the views of the public and all interested parties on the drugs situation in […]
The College of Psychiatrists of Ireland fears that uninformed reactions to ISPCC statistics on childhood distress will further delay the development of appropriate interventions for children at risk of mental distress and illness. Media coverage of the ISPCC’s figures from their Childline service rightly focus on the slow pace of access to appropriate help for […]
The Faculty of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry is concerned that the recent focus and much talked about ‘€12million’ might distract us and all stakeholders from the main issue which is a chronic under-funding of Mental Health Services in Ireland. The Faculty of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in line with the College of Psychiatrists feel strongly […]
A Trainee Psychiatrist’s View Dr Roisin Plunkett is a Psychiatric Registrar in her third year of training in Dublin. In general I have a lot of time for Leo Varadkar. Not only because he is a good speaker, and seems like a down-to-earth guy, but also because I think he’s probably the least bad minister for […]
“Figures released by the HSE and recent slights of hand with the mental health budget indicate that the support for A Vision for Change is simply PR that does nothing for those in real need across the country” said Dr John Hillery, Director of Communication and Public Education for the College. The released HSE figures […]
Talk of Mental Health funding dispersal points to ambivalence to mental health and those suffering mental illness believes the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland. The College of Psychiatrists is dismayed at media reports that Minister Kathleen Lynch is under pressure to allow mental health funds to be dispersed to “more politically sensitive” areas of healthcare. […]
In a powerful article published in the Irish Independent on March 8th, Prof Patricia Casey reflects on the promises made by the last government to improve Mental Health Services in Ireland and how far short they have fallen on these promises. In 2011, when Enda Kenny took office, I wrote in this column: “There are […]
Top 5 Priorities for Ireland’s Mental Health A Vision for Change maps what services should be available to people with mental health problems. Ten years on we still have inequality of access to services across Ireland. The College Calls on You when Elected to Ensure Delivery of: 1. 24/7 Community Based Mental Health Teams for […]