Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland’s Mental Health Strategy progresses despite ‘desperate’ need for extra funding

The Health Minister issued a progress update on the ten-year strategy, but said ‘additional and sustained’ funding was needed to fully realise the plan

Psychology therapy session. Female patient talking to mental health professional.
The ten-year strategy includes plans to create a Regional Mental Health Service for Northern Ireland. (MICROGEN IMAGES/SCIENCE PHOTO LI/Getty Images/Science Photo Libra)
By Allan Preston

The Health Minister has welcomed progress on Northern Ireland’s Mental Health Strategy, but said sustained funding was needed to build the services “we desperately need”.

The 2021-31 strategy is costed at £1.2bn, but in May this year the Stormont Health committee heard that just £9m had been made available, with £5.1m expected for 2024/25 instead of a recommended £42m.

In a statement, Mr Nesbitt said: “The Mental Health Strategy is one of the key vehicles for bringing about changes to mental health services across the whole lifespan in Northern Ireland.

“It sets out a clear direction of travel to support and promote good mental health, provide early intervention to prevent serious mental illness, provide the right response when a person needs specialist help and support, as well as outlining how the system will work to implement these changes.”

For 2024/25, he said the focus would be on integrating the community and voluntary sector into mental health service delivery, addressing workforce challenges, continued delivery of the Early Intervention and Prevention Plan and the development of a Regional Mental Health Service.

Priority actions taken forward so far include the co-design of a five-year plan to establish the Regional Mental Health Service, including appointing a new head of service.

According to the strategy, this would operate across the five HSC Trusts and provide a high quality and regionally consistent service that was still locally based.

Other progress included community perinatal mental health teams in place all Health & Social Care Trusts, completion of a three-year Early Intervention and Prevention Action Plan and publication of an independent Mental Health workforce review.

There was also an extra £2m of investment for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and completion of a review on how to engage the community and voluntary sector for mental health provision.

Mr Nesbitt added that the plan could only continue with a long-term financial commitment from the Stormont Executive.

“My Department remains clear that this is required to fully implement all actions within the Strategy and bring about the necessary improvements in services that we so desperately need,” he said.