Dr. Brendan Doody:

Again, it depends on the acuity of the cases one can admit at a time. In other words, if one looks at the full range of young people who can be admitted, when we get a referral to Linn Dara we must make a determination as to whether we are in a position to provide safe, therapeutic care to the young person. Obviously, one is looking at staffing resources and the skills of the staff, but one is also looking at the physical environment. That will be a major factor that will have to be taken into consideration. Then one is looking at the acuity of the mix of the other cases on the ward. This is seen across all units. Even though the capacity of a CAMHS unit might be 11 or 12 beds, the ability to admit a young person at a particular point will depend on the acuity because there may be young people who may require additional nursing or one-to-one nursing. A number of factors must be considered when one is looking at being able to admit a young person. Again, it is important that the young person can be managed safely in that environment.