Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for the update, particularly on the ADHD app for adults, which is a good development. I commend her on last week's opening of the National Forensic Mental Health Service in Portrane and the relocation of the Central Mental Hospital from Dundrum, which was a major achievement.

The Minister of State has an important brief. It takes care of some of the most vulnerable in society. It is a challenging brief because, despite the funding being put in place to resource the HSE adequately to deal with waiting lists and to provide beds, step-down facilities and support, be that through social workers or home care workers, we have a service-level challenge. This is down to recruitment and other staffing issues. We need to see them resolved because our older people, people with disabilities and patients must be at the centre of our healthcare services. There are incredible people working hard in this sector and in the Department. I see that every day in my constituency, where we have social workers and healthcare workers, including therapists, working round the clock to provide vital services. I also see it in the services provided by Peamount Healthcare, which the Minister of State visited recently, and Stewarts Care, which I hope she will visit. The problem is that not all people are being reached through these services.

My second point is on ageing. I have a particular concern about older individuals who are caring for people with disabilities, including intellectual disabilities, or severe mental health challenges. Those people are living with their ageing parents and are themselves older adults now. Their parents are very worried about what will happen to their children when they are gone and who will care for them after they have been cared for in their homes their entire lives. This is one of the main challenges, given the untold stress it puts on the ageing parents and the uncertainty and upheaval it creates in the lives of the people with the disabilities or mental health issues. When I encounter these cases, I find them heart-breaking because finding a solution is difficult.

We need to invest better in planning in order to support people in this situation. We need better interventions and adequate disability accommodation across the country. Waiting lists are probably the main hurdle for people. They are the issue that I hear about most frequently. I welcome some of what the Minster of State has said in this regard, but a further update would be great.