A Vision for Change, the mental health policy document published in January, was the first mental health policy document published since the 1994 document, Planning for the Future.
Written by an expert group which included psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, mental health nurses and users of the mental health services, this latest document includes 200 recommendations for change within the mental health services.
One of the document's recommendations is the putting in place of well-trained, fully staffed community-based multidisciplinary mental health teams which would offer home-based and outreach services to people with mental health problems. Another key recommendation is that the mental health services be reorganised into larger catchment areas, based on populations of 250,000-400,000 rather than the current organisation of services around psychiatric hospitals. Closing down the 15 remaining psychiatric hospitals and using the funds raised to build new community mental health centres and residential units for those with chronic mental illness is another key recommendation.
A strong emphasis on the importance of working towards recovery permeates the report.
A Vision for Change also embraces a biopsychosocial model which means that mental health problems are a result of complex interactions between biological, psychological and social factors.
The involvement of service-users and their carers in service development and better links between mental health services, primary care and voluntary mental health groups were other key recommendations.
The report can be downloaded on www.dohc.ie
