The Chairman of the Mental Health Commission has said the number of admissions to Irish psychiatric institutions should be halved.
Dr John Owens was speaking at the launch this morning of a strategy paper for the Mental Health Commission for the forthcoming year.
Dr Owens said a radical change in approach was required to the delivery of mental health services and said mental health services were badly affected by the inadequate development of specialties, insufficient funding and poor levels of staffing.
The MHC says Government funding for mental health services decreased from 10.6% of the health budget in 1990 to 6.8% in 2003.
Dr Owens said this shortfall in funding hinders the full development of community services. Services for children and adolescents, old-age psychiatry and services for homeless people with mental illness are also badly affected due to this lack of funding.
The Commission is an independent body established under the Mental Health Act 2001and its main purpose is to promote high standards and good practices in the delivery of mental health services in Ireland.
The Commission is also charged with the responsibility to protect the interests of people who are detained in approved psychiatric centres around the country.
Dr Owens reiterated the Commission's commitment to fostering and promoting high standards in the delivery of mental health services and ensuring that the interests of those who are involuntarily admitted under the provisions of the Mental Health Act 2001 are protected.
