Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

To respond to Deputy Kelleher, I do not have specifics about Cork but I will get them. Obviously, I am also interested in them and in getting a handle on the situation in Cork. I will share that information with the Deputy when it is to hand. The issue is reflected across the country in various forms, but typically the same problems are arising. Despite expenditure of €850 million per annum and 1,100 additional staff in the last five years there are still huge challenges, particularly in the CAMHS area. I accept that it is tiresome to hear repetitively about the recruitment of staff and that some people will believe it is an excuse, but the reality is that it is very difficult to get consultant psychiatrists. It is not just a problem in this country but also in Europe, which is more worrying. Funding is not holding up these appointments and recruitment. It is a challenge for us and I am not sure how we will overcome it but we must continue to try. We were talking with the HSE before this meeting about the efforts it is making to address the recruitment issue.

CAMHS teams are typically operating at 50% to 60% of the levels that are recommended, which is obviously not where we wish to be. There are 67 CAMHS teams and three paediatric liaison teams. We are expecting approximately 18,500 referrals to CAMHS in 2017. Currently, 68% of children referred to CAMHS are seen within 12 weeks but I accept that one in three is not, which is not good enough. The recruitment issue underpins the frustration in this regard. One of the positives is that sanction has just been received for 100 new assistant psychologist posts for the early intervention primary care area. When that recruitment gets under way it should take some of the pressure off. We should be trying to divert people away from CAMHS and intervening at the lowest level possible. Once that takes hold I am hopeful that it will be a positive development. The service plan for 2017 identifies CAMHS as a priority for further development, including better out-of-hours liaison and seven day response. This is a strategic priority action against a background where the population of children is expected to increase by approximately 8,500. I intend to get my head around this issue. I will ask the HSE to give a presentation and briefing on CAMHS in the audio-visual, AV, room for all Deputies, because it is an area of concern nationwide. I do not have a monopoly of wisdom on the solution and I would like to share that load with Deputies across the House to see what other solutions people might propose to assist the HSE in dealing with it.

On the Devereaux case, I echo what the Minister said. The issue I have and which I have raised with the HSE is who was told about this. Why did these people have to talk to Joe? Was it really necessary to do that? I presume they met and interacted with somebody who is real and who heard that same story. There was an outcry of compassion from all of us when we heard the story, so one wonders about who they told the story to previously and who did not or was unable to react. We must find out which it was, whether they did not react or were unable to because of legislation, procedure, rules and regulation. We will get to the bottom of that case. As the Minister said, the case has been sorted but we have to ensure that such a case does not happen again and that the flexibility to facilitate compassion exists and is built into any systems we as legislators put in place to govern how clinical decisions are made in admissions.