MENTAL HEALTH MINISTER Mary Butler says she would liked more money for the mental health budget this year, admitting that new services, such as the expansion of ADHD adult services teams, will now not be expanded as there is no funding for 2024.

The Department of Health’s significant budget overrun has impacted the health spends in areas outside acute services, with the government’s mental health budget for next year coming in at €1.3bn, with just €13 million for new services.

When asked was she disappointed with those figures, she said: 

“I suppose, you know, we have to use the resources that are available to us.”

“Obviously you always need more money. I would have liked to have secured more supports to continue the rollout of the clinical programs that we’re doing in relation to eating disorders, into mental health intellectual, disability, in relation to ADHD, in relation to self-harm and suicidal ideation,” said Butler.

Instead, the minister said she made the choice to target her funding at the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) teams.

The Journal asked specifically about the minister’s promise to expand on the ADHD services for adults, with a new model of care plan being announced two years ago.

The HSE set out its aims for providing services and treatments for adults with ADHD in its ‘model for care’ document launched in January 2021.

The plan is for 11 adult ADHD clinics to be set up to provide assessment and treatment, with each clinic consisting of a consultant psychiatrist, a senior psychologist, a senior occupational therapist, CAMHs (nursing staff) and an administrator.

Up until 2022 the Department of Health provided funding to the National Clinical Programme for 3 of the 11 Adult ADHD sites, which are now operational.

The 2022 Estimates process provided funding for an additional four Adult ADHD teams, however, the Oireachtas Health Committee was told in June of this year that only four clinics were in operation in the entire country. 

However, just two years on and the new programme has now stalled with the minister confirming today that she has no funding for the year ahead for expanding the service, as is set out in her department’s own model of care report. 

She told The Journal:

So there is nothing in the budget to expand the ADHD teams for adults into 2024… so I am disappointed this year I won’t be able to continue the rollout of ADHD teams for adults. That’s an honest answer.

Butler told reporters at the post-Budget press conference that she would have liked more resources in this year’s Budget to expand on services. 

“I am disappointed from that perspective,” she said, while adding that she has to accept that she is also the Minister for Older people and with an aging population, many end up in acute hospital settings, where money is needed.

“I suppose I have to work with the resources that were available to me. And what I decided to do was prioritise the area which has the most demand and that is CAMHs,” she said