Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I do not know if the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, was here earlier when the Taoiseach was boasting about living up to the commitments made in the programme for Government about expanding capacity in child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS. I do not know how he or the Minister of State could square that boast with the decision made two weeks ago by the HSE to close one of the most successful child and adolescent day care centres, the Linn Dara CAMHS unit in Cherry Orchard Hospital. It was closed on 6 July for possibly five or six months. It has played a vital and highly positive role in the lives of many young people who have availed of its services since it opened. The decision to close it is ridiculous and follows on from a decision made last year to close half of the inpatient services for the months of June, July, August, September and October last year.

Every parent I know who had a child attend the Linn Dara CAMHS unit in Cherry Orchard Hospital has had very positive experiences and praised the service and the staff, in particular, and acknowledged the benefits for his or her child. Closing the service is a retrograde step which will add huge pressure on inpatient services not only in the future but also now, as those who cannot access the day service will try to get their children into the inpatient service. It will also put pressure on the local adult mental health services because the parents of children will have to reach out somehow to get some help or seek relief for their children, as well as some access to psychiatry, social workers, nurses, occupational therapists, dieticians, social care workers, speech and language therapists and educationists who are available in the day services provided in the CAMHS centre. It is a multi-disciplinary service which has worked well. I commend the Mental Health Warriors who have protested against the closure and will arrange another this Thursday.

I ask the Minister of State to intervene to ensure the centre will reopen as quickly as possible, which means tomorrow or this week.

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