Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I accept the answer. Regarding community child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, and the setting up of interdisciplinary teams, I tabled Parliamentary Question No. 151 of 2 December 2020 asking the Minister for Health for the reasons for the delay in all interventions for children under the age of 18 years of age. The subsequent HSE response to me of 17 December was that in respect of community CAMHS services, the waiting times for young people to be seen by the child and adolescent mental health services continue to be an issue in a number of CHOs. It stated that a renewed focus on improving capacity and throughput was in place in this area and some improvement was being shown. I cannot say that is the case in CHO 4.

Dr. Morgan spoke about silos previously. In the very short time available, if we are talking about knocking down silos, then CAMHS needs to be put under the microscope. He can correct me if I am wrong, but my perception is that CAMHS operates as a silo and until that silo is smashed and there is a greater interdisciplinarity about the way in which teams operate at a community level then we are not going to see the throughput in respect of the therapeutic effects based on the assessments of need. Is that a fair characterisation of CAMHS now in terms of the challenges faced?