Dr. Brendan Doody:

It is a very reasonable concern. If 11 beds are taken out of the system, be it done only temporarily, there is less of a resource available. Is that a risk? Yes, it is. If a young person is admitted to an adult unit, it usually happens in crisis. They are not planned admissions. If it happens in our area, we will see that young person straightaway and make an assessment. Sometimes the crisis passes and he or she does not need to be transferred to a CAMHS unit and can be discharged. As was the case last year, 60% did require transferring.

The cases are discussed on the national call. Our primary catchment area extends from south Dublin CHO 6, CHO 7, and half of CHO 8.

We take all under-15s for CHO 9 and all of CHO 8. There is a discussion with regard to assessment and we have the weekly tele-call. A child in an adult unit is seen and coded as a priority. Each unit will have its own primary responsibility linked to that area and that unit will have the responsibility of finding a bed. On occasion, we have taken children from adult units outside our catchment area. Even though each unit has its own defined catchment area, it is not that it cannot admit a child from another catchment area in such a situation.