Gabrielle McFadden (Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I bid the witnesses a good morning. The Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, mentioned that number a couple of weeks ago when he was here. I had not heard it myself. It is a great facility.

It has been said by everyone that mental health services are best delivered in a primary care setting. I accept that. I have the height of respect for GPs. Some of my best friends are GPs. In their submissions, the witnesses mentioned funding several times, for example, "Further investment here will enable better and early prevention" and "Adequate resourcing for GP-led primary care is necessary. Improvements can be achieved and experiences and outcomes for many people with mental health can be improved". It is all about resources. I feel very strongly that there should be a clinical psychologist in every primary care centre. Some of the witnesses said they did not have the manpower on the ground or the time to listen to people for more than a few minutes. I feel very strongly that I would not go to a GP in these circumstances. I would not go to a psychologist with a throat infection. I would prefer not to be seen in a primary care centre by a GP but rather by a clinical psychologist. There should be a clinical psychologist available in every primary care centre just as there is a GP. That is a way forward. One would walk into a primary care centre and make an appointment through the receptionist with one's psychologist rather than with one's GP. That would free up the GP to look after people with throat infections and allow psychologists to do what they are trained to do. Some of them will have studied for nine and ten years to get a doctorate in clinical psychology. That is a very important thing and it would alleviate waiting lists and a lot of the pressure GPs face.

I agree with Professor O'Connor about the liaison person. There are many services on the ground and many NGOs, and nobody knows what is going on. Some services are running in parallel and some areas have no service.

It would be of a significant benefit if there was a liaison person in every county.

We talk about money all the time. I cannot believe the email situation. I know somebody in a primary care centre who spent several hours one afternoon trying to put their name and address on the bottom of their email in Irish because they were instructed to do so by the HSE. To me, that is a huge and utter waste of finances. Over €1 billion is going into mental health every year but nobody knows how it is spent. The reason nobody can get this breakdown is because the figures are not electronically linked which is outrageous. Will the witnesses give their opinions on the provision of psychologists in primary care?