From Department of Health
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The Minister of State for Mental Health & Older People, Mary Butler TD, announces today, on World Mental Health Day, the establishment of the National Implementation and Monitoring Committee structure (NIMC), which will be responsible for driving and overseeing the implementation and roll out of Sharing the Vision – a Mental Health Policy for Everyone. An independent Chair and membership of the NIMC will be appointed in the coming weeks.
The refreshed national mental health policy, Sharing the Vision – a Mental Health Policy for Everyone 2020-2030, was published in June 2020. The policy sets out a progressive shift in mental health service delivery from volume of supports provided to outcomes achieved for people using the services. Sharing the Vision will build on the achievements of A Vision for Change, with a focus on cross sectoral and inter- departmental commitments to improving the mental health outcomes of Ireland’s population, across the lifecycle. The policy seeks to enhance mental health services across a continuum of supports, from mental health promotion, prevention and early intervention to acute and specialist services, aiming to place the needs of the individual at the centre of service delivery. Establishment of the NIMC is an essential first step to oversee implementation and to monitor the recommendations in Sharing the Vision.
Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly TD, said:
"Mental health is a priority for this government, especially in these uncertain and stressful times. The establishment of the NIMC is a significant milestone on our journey to change the landscape of our mental health services."
Minister for Mental Health and Older People, Mary Butler TD said:
"As we continue to live with COVID-19, the successful implementation of Sharing the Vision is critical in providing a framework to enhance our mental health system and enable our mental health sector to rise to the challenges we face now and those that are to come. To that end, today on World Mental Health Day, I am delighted to establish the NIMC, as it will be crucial to maintaining momentum throughout the 10-year lifetime of the policy."
In addition to the establishment of the NIMC, Minister Butler is also launching a mental health support leaflet for young people today, the result of a collaboration between the Department of Health and the Department of Education and Skills, with assistance from the HSE.
This leaflet will signpost and provide details of a number of HSE funded national organisations that provide various mental health supports and services to young people and their parents around the country. The leaflet will be circulated to 4,000 schools and will be available online to download for those working with young people. Details of these services and more are also available on www.yourmentalhealth.ie.
Minister Butler said:
"There are many organisations that do a fantastic job around the country helping young people with their mental health. We are living in a time of unprecedented worry and anxiety in Ireland and I want to make sure that information is available for young people. I am hopeful that many will find the help they need when they need it and that this additional information source will be of assistance."
Minister for Education, Norma Foley TD, said:
"The promotion of wellbeing and positive mental health for all of our children and young people is a whole-of-government issue and this is more important than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools play a key role here by providing supportive and protective relationships, fostering a sense of belonging and connectedness and supporting the development of adaptive skills. We know, however, that some students may need additional support and therefore I am pleased that this mental health support leaflet is being made available to school communities."
ENDS
The purpose of the National Implementation and Monitoring Committee structure (NIMC) will be to drive reconfiguration of our mental health services, monitor progress against outcomes and deliver on the commitments set out in the policy. The NIMC will work with partners to evaluate performance, assess overall progress and advise on best practice, informed by national and international research.
In addition, a HSE Implementation Group will be established to engage with partners to deliver on the recommendations in the refreshed policy. The HSE Implementation Group will report to the NIMC on progress of implementation of actions in the policy.
The NIMC and the HSE Implementation Group will agree on the establishment of sub-committees to provide advice on the implementation of a range of specialist recommendations in the policy, including the transition from child & adolescent to adult services; assessment of in-patient bed capacity to support population mental health needs; evaluation of data from pilot e-health initiatives, and other recommendations in Sharing the Vision.
It is envisaged that the NIMC and sub-committees will include representation from stakeholders who can assist in advising on, and driving, the effective delivery of the policy recommendations, with service user, family members/carers, service provider and voluntary sector representation.
The Department of Health will work with the HSE to agree service planning objectives and financing for the policy on an annual basis, subject to overall Budgetary parameters.
The department will advise the Minister for Health and the Minister of State on ongoing implementation and will report on the progress of the NIMC at Cabinet Committee level, as envisaged in the new policy on a regular basis as outlined in the policy.