Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I can indeed. The waiting lists and the numbers behind them are an issue of intrigue for me. I am not quite like the Taoiseach who has a complete fascination with statistics but, at the same time, there is more to the figures when one looks at them. The more I have looked at them since I have come into this role the more I am aware of the myriad factors that underlie the numbers and why people are waiting so long. For example, a detailed examination has shown that the most prevalent reason for the number of people waiting over 12 months is the lack of client availability. In other words, people are not turning up for their appointments. That is not me disavowing my responsibility, as I accept there are issues with recruitment and there are teams that do not have a full complement, but we also have a major issue with referrals. People present to their GPs or at other locations and are inappropriately referred to the child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, in many cases. When that happens, they are left on a list because they are not seen as a priority and CAMHS will continue to deal with priority cases.

What I would like to see is, first, a more appropriate referral system. There must be a clear care pathway outlined in each and every CHO. I would like to see one person made responsible in every CHO for that pathway so that when somebody rings up with a mental health query, he or she will be referred appropriately and seen at a more appropriate level than everybody being just sent up the list and left on the CAMHS waiting list. When one asks the CAMHS teams about the people who are waiting for over a year one finds they are a low priority but the names are left on the list and add to the statistics. We have a number of challenges to deal with in this area, including the gathering of metrics.

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