Mental Health Group To Push For Reform

Voluntary organisations bidding to make mental health services a major general election issue today take their campaign to Dublin. The Mental Health Action Group wants to see full implementation of the A Vision For Change blueprint, launched in January 2006.

A series of nationwide meetings have already been held in Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford. The group is made up of a coalition of five voluntary support groups: Schizophrenia Ireland; Amnesty; Bodywhys; the Irish Advocacy Network and Grow.

Group chairman John Saunders wants to inform general election candidates of the priority issues and ask them to state their positions. He also called for annual progress reports on the implementation of recommendations contained in the A Vision For Change report.

“We need radical reform of the Irish mental health services and the way that the HSE manages and delivers services,” he said.

The group meets in Buswells Hotel near Leinster House this evening. Further meetings of the group are planned for Dublin on April 16th and Athlone on May 1st.