Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I take the points made by the Deputy about the Clare region. The locum consultant will be appointed on 9 July. I also agree with the point he made about one to one services. It is a very crucial aspect of psychiatry and psychology. I will bring to the Minister's attention the concerns he has raised about the large number of agency staff used by the service.

It is important to remember, despite some of the criticisms - and I accept that the Deputy has made genuine, valid points - that the level of vacancies and the difficulty of recruiting skilled staff continues to pose a significant challenge to provision of service. This is particularly the case with child and adult mental health services, CAMHS. That is a sad reality. The provision of 136 primary care psychologists, including 22 basic grade psychologists and 114 psychologists, aims to reduce this pressure. There is an issue about staff, and I accept the points made by the Deputy, but of the 22 basic grade psychologist posts 20 are currently filled. We also face difficulties in recruiting nurses, and the issue of undergraduates as well.

I take the points the Deputy has made and I will bring them to the attention of the Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly. If we are investing the money - and the budget is available - we need to ensure that the services are up and running. They must be patient-led and the vision for our psychiatric and mental health services has to be developed in a positive and constructive way. We are committed to doing that.

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