Over 2,400 additional staff are needed in mental health services to meet the level of care recommended in a policy document 13 years ago, according to HSE figures.
There was an increase of just 34 staff in mental health services between December 2018 and October 2019.
The figures were released to Fianna Fail TD and party mental health spokesman James Browne following a parliamentary question.
The HSE said there were 9,932 staff employed in the mental health division in October. "A Vision for Change prescribes that the new workforce would comprise approximately 11,000 staff. Based on the increasing population this would equate to 12,354 using 2016 census," it said. "Therefore leaving a gap of 2,422 WTE's [whole time equivalents]."
A Vision for Change is a mental health policy document which was published in 2006 and includes a number of recommendations for change within mental health services.
The HSE said the average salary of the staff required including PSRI and non-pay costs is “in excess of €80,000” and therefore hiring the required workers would cost €194.8 million.
Mr Browne said the figures show "extraordinary regional variations" in the levels of mental health staff. He said Community Healthcare Organisation (CHO) 7 which covers Kildare, west Wicklow, Dublin west, Dublin south west and Dublin south city has "less than half the staff required".
"The south east (CHO 6) has just over half but CHO 2 (Galway, Mayo, Roscommon) has almost 13 per cent more than what was recommended under A Vision for Change. This does not strike me as evidence of good workforce planning," the Wexford TD said.
"The figures are clear proof that Fine Gael is not taking mental health seriously, and Budget 2020 did nothing to address this shortfall. An updated Vision for Change policy is expected soon, and I would be greatly concerned that this government of excuses will simply give up the ghost on the ambition set out in the original policy."
In a statement on Saturday the HSE said it is committed to the Vision for Change strategy but that mental health services, “like other parts of the health service, are facing on-going recruitment challenges in a number of areas and these have led to some gaps in services”.
“Generally the Irish public health sector, in common with all health systems internationally, is facing significant recruitment challenges with certain grades and categories. The recruitment and/or talent pool for many grades within the health sector, including mental health services, is now increasingly becoming a global one and even within Ireland there is competition between the private and public health sector,” a spokesman for the HSE said.
