Jillian van Turnhout (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Mr. O'Brien and his team. The service plan is essentially about delivery of services. While I welcome what was said about the mental health budget and the ring-fencing of the €35 million, what reassurance can we be given that the service plan for the mental health sector will be implemented this year? Has the recruitment of staff allocated under the service plan started? We will be at the end of the first quarter within a few weeks. Last year many of us asked questions about this throughout the year and were constantly told that the staff would be in place "within the next few months" but they were not in place by year end. I am very concerned about this because the target for the child and adolescent mental health services is that no-one will wait more than 12 months for an appointment. A year is a very long time to wait for a first appointment for a child or an adolescent experiencing mental health difficulties. All too often I am hearing of cases where a child is waiting nine months, is given an appointment but is then told he or she is with the wrong specialty. The child then goes to the back of another queue. So, while the target of less than one year has technically been met, the child's needs have not been met.

I am also very concerned about the waiting lists for those suffering from pre-natal and post-natal depression. The birth of a new baby is supposed to be a time of joy but women are being told they will have to wait nine to 12 months before they can access expert mental health services. The weeks and months following birth are the critical time for bonding with one's child and in that context, I am very concerned about the delays in that area.

We have had good discussions in this committee about the child and family support agency and we await the legislation. However, I am reminded of the warning in tube stations in London to "mind the gap". We are in a "mind the gap" phase now, or a transition period. All of the services are currently under the auspices of the HSE and all of the accountability for them rests with the HSE. I ask the witnesses to clarify whether the CEO designate of the new agency reports to the HSE at present. The main objective listed under the child and family support services is child protection but child and family support is about much more than just child protection. I would like to see references to other outcomes for child and family services. The other mind the gap concern I have relates to the transition period between childhood and adulthood.

On the issue of the money following the patient, the witnesses spoke about hospital groupings but have they considered patient groupings, such as children with life-limiting conditions? This is a very specific grouping of children for whom a money follows the patient model could be initiated very quickly. This is what their parents want, it would be good for the children and could save us money in the longer term. Has any consideration been given to this?