Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I accept that there have been some improvements in certain areas. I note a statistic that in 2011, 31% of child admissions were to adult units, compared to 28% in 2015, so that is to be welcomed. Sadly, however, there continue to be a huge challenge in the area. I do not expect the Government to be able to solve everything overnight. In Wexford, for example, there are a lot of different groups involved in dealing with the challenges of mental health issues, many of which are charities. We have heard a lot of talk about charities in the last couple of weeks, but the HSE is outsourcing a lot of work to charities that it should be doing itself. We are trying to co-ordinate a range of groups and charities involved in mental health issues in Wexford at the moment. One group involved is in the Campile area. Two girls working in a pharmacy in Campile highlighted to me that they are shocked at the number of young people coming into the pharmacy and accessing prescribed drugs to deal with mental health issues. It has grown dramatically. The State has to play a stronger role. The idea of the HSE outsourcing some of this to charities is not working very well. There has to be a hands-on and more active approach on the part of the State.

See this speech in context