Dr. Amanda Burke:

Yes, I know exactly what the Deputy is talking about. I would advocate very strongly for the clinical directorate model, which would be that all teams work under one clinical directorate. We have a clinical director post in Cork-Kerry that we are trying to fill at this time for CAMHS. We were not successful in the last filling but we will certainly roll that out.

We are looking at wait list initiatives in terms of the people who have waited the longest. One of the initiatives that have been put in place in Cork is an ADHD wait list initiative which is headed up by a new consultant. It took a while to get them in place. They have been a little bit affected by the recruitment pause to the end of the year but I hope they will be in full force next year. That is a streamlined pathway for people with ADHD.

We, as a national office, are looking at outsourcing some of these ADHD assessments through treatment purchase abroad as well to reduce the numbers again. We are acutely aware of the issue and the Deputy is right that it is a big challenge in Cork-Kerry but we are trying to tackle it.