Dr. Brendan Doody:

I would like to comment on the waiting lists. As the committee will have seen, the waiting lists are not evenly distributed around the country. The areas that have the most consistent resource available are those which have the shortest waiting lists. As one would expect, it is a question of the availability of teams and of consultants.

The key is having the multidisciplinary team in place on a consistent basis, with consistent availability. Issues can arise within teams where there is a lot of turnover of personnel or where there are agency or locum staff in position on a sustained basis. There may be a number of factors involved. In general waiting lists are a resource issue but there may be specific issues relating to a particular area that can explain the variations in waiting times and waiting lists.

Again, to echo what Mr. Ryan said, when a referral comes in it is triaged. A decision is made as to what response is needed and the timeliness of that response. As is clear from the various reports, 50% of referrals are seen within four weeks and 75% are seen within the 12-week framework. Often the issue is that less urgent cases are left on waiting lists. They are being displaced by new, more urgent referrals which are superseding them. I can speak for the Linn Dara service and I know how this happens but I am not saying that young people who are on waiting lists do not have an identified need that requires a response. In the context of fewer resources, such that exist will be taken up by the more urgent referrals which means that those with a less acute need are pushed back and their needs are not met in as timely a manner as they should be.