Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

As a former Minister of State at the Department of Health, the Minister, Deputy White, has a particularly good insight into the health services in general. I am sure the Minister and his colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, are well aware of the need to secure proportionate amounts that are justifiable in the Department of Health. The Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, is doing her utmost, but she is battling against the tide in many respects as she tries to fulfil her psychiatric responsibilities in the Department. The Government has to be realistic about this matter. It needs to give a proper slice of the cake to mental health services. For historic reasons, mental health services are starting from a very low financial base. It is not right that it accounts for such a low proportion of the overall health budget. This is reflected across the country, including in my county of Kerry. The staffing problems in the Kerry mental health services are caused by the lack of nurses on the ground and the continuing retirements. Staff numbers are continuing to decline. For every two nurses being taken on, three are retiring. Overtime is being paid for, but this is an expensive option. Many health nurses are unemployed, have emigrated or are working as care staff in private nursing homes. They cannot get jobs as registered psychiatric nurses with the HSE locally. That is not proper. The mental health services in County Kerry need a minimum of 25 whole-time equivalent nursing posts as a priority to end overtime and ensure services are fully staffed. I will mention one major item in this context. The HSE spent approximately €3 million on a state-of-the-art four-bed high-observation psychiatric unit at Kerry General Hospital to deal with, treat and manage patients with challenging and disturbing behaviours. The four-bed specialised unit was completed last December but remains closed because the HSE does not have enough nurses to staff it. I ask the Minister to bring this matter to the attention of his colleagues, particularly the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, and the Minister, Deputy Varadkar, and ask them to address it urgently.

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