Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 18 April 2018

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Future of Mental Health Care

Mental Health Services: Discussion (Resumed)

1:30 pm

Chairman:

Before we wrap up, I will ask Dr. Murtagh something out of curiosity. We have looked at the struggles the witnesses go through on a daily basis. The witnesses have spoken eloquently about the children we are concerned about. There are lots of children in adult psychiatric wards. I received a call yesterday about a child who cannot be allowed outside of the room because of segregation, which has to happen. If she was charged with murder she would have an hour of fresh air a day but she gets none. Instead, she is listening to a man crying and screaming in a room beside her. It is one of the reasons I am very curious about the relationship between St. Patrick's and the HSE. Dr. Murtagh mentioned there has been an increase in requests from the HSE. Why is that? Could there be more and could there be a better way of creating a really solid referral pathway between the HSE and St. Patrick's?