Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for the presentation. I have one or two questions, one of which Senator Burke alluded to, about the shortfall in staff numbers outlined in A Vision for Change. It was said that up to July there was a shortfall of approximately 3,000 staff. I am concerned about the 567 nursing posts that have not been filled. I accept dealing with people with mental health issues requires highly skilled professionals. The work is very intense. Are agency nurses employed in the mental health sector?

It was said that 212 people are waiting for between three months and six months and another 70 are waiting for up to six months. Is there a breakdown of their specific geographic location? I read that 34% of children are still being admitted to adult psychiatric services in hospitals. I echo the comments of other speakers that it is absolutely scandalous. We must examine the situation as a matter of urgency. It was said that some of the 500 people who took their lives had contact in the past year with health professionals. Is there a percentage available? Is it 20% or closer to 80% and where does one get such figures?

I fully agree with what was said about homelessness. People seek housing on a regular basis. Depression and anxiety about where to go in the evening are among the main problems that arise. Many people end up sitting in accident and emergency departments and they develop many other problems there in addition to the reason for which they are admitted. Alcohol abuse is one of the main problems I encounter among the people I deal with who experience homelessness. In my area there are two houses where homeless people can go in order to drink. Not all areas in Dublin have such a facility as they seem to be concentrated in certain parts of the city. That is a real problem because I meet people who regularly come from other parts of the city to the inner city in order to be facilitated in wet hostels. Some homeless people would not have to go to accident and emergency departments if they could be facilitated elsewhere. I accept that is a broader issue but the situation must be examined.

I have had some dealings with community-based mental health services as part of primary care services through relatives of people who suffer from their nerves. All of them have said the service in the community is excellent and that people are well looked after. It is a huge comfort to families that their relatives can be seen in the community rather than them having to travel. It is good for communities to know that people suffer from mental health issues and that people should not be stigmatised as being affected with some kind of plague. Most families in this country have someone who suffers from depression, anxiety or other mental health illness and we should not hide the fact in a closet and pretend it does not exist because it does. One of the things that has helped families to cope with the mental health illness of a family member is the availability of a community-based service.