07 August 2003

Press Statement

The Irish College of Psychiatrists welcomes the announcement by Minister Tim O’Malley this week on the establishment of an expert group to review Mental Health Policy. The establishment of this group is overdue.

Dr. Kate Ganter, Chairperson of the Irish College of Psychiatrists said today, "The establishment of this expert group is long overdue. It is now imperative that the group reports within the 18-month timeframe outlined - and that commitment is given by Government to fund the implementation of recommendations made by the group. There must also be agreement on a specific timeframe for the introduction of the groups recommendations"

The Irish College of Psychiatrists is concerned with the low and ever decreasing funding of our psychiatric services – across all specialities. Services are stretched and this is simply not acceptable for this vulnerable patient group who have no history of advocating for themselves. There is also a lack of uniformity in the level of service provided in different regions and this must be addressed. Geographical location should not determine whether or not some patients have access to services. We expect the expert group will deal with all of these issues - and also expect that this will lead to positive and effective outcomes.

The Irish College is pleased that Dr. Colette Halpin, former Chairperson of the Irish College and Dr. Mary Kelly, Chairperson of the Learning Disability Section of the Irish College have been appointed to the expert group.