Dr. Anne Doherty:

I wish to expand on that and make a slightly broader point. These difficulties have obviously beset a specific CAMHS in Kerry. However, we know that there are resource issues across the country and across pretty much every mental health service that exists.

In 2005, which is now 17 years ago, A Vision for Change was published. That set out the numbers of staff and multidisciplinary team members that were needed in every team, from CAMHS to adult psychiatry to all of the specialist areas. In many areas, some teams are running at 20% or 30% of the staffing. Even the more general community adult teams will often be without key multidisciplinary team members for prolonged periods of time. We have colleagues all the time talk about how they have no social worker for six months or the psychologist on their team has become unwell and they have not been replaced.

This problem does not only affect CAMHS. In some ways, until mental health services are properly resourced and the required team members are put in place, we will probably see further problems. It is inevitable that if services operate under such a strain, they will crack at some point. It is inevitable in many respects. Unfortunately, a service that is under such strain all of the time is not an attractive place for people to work. If people are getting job offers from New Zealand where there is a very nice quality of life and pleasant working conditions, it is very difficult to dissuade them from going there.