Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Three weeks ago, two psychiatrists in the Waterford-Wexford area resigned their posts because they said services were falling apart. I met the Taoiseach's predecessor over the past two years and we went through these issues, along with Deputy James Browne who has monitored the mental health commitments in the confidence and supply agreement. The Taoiseach can quote figures about increased allocation because of demographics or whatever but too many young people are waiting too long to access services, and that is also true of too many children who are in difficult circumstances. When I meet Ministers, they put their hands out and say, "What can we do? There has been a recruitment failure." Some 44 consultant posts were advertised in psychiatry and no applications were received for 25% of them.

No applications were received for child and adolescent psychiatry positions in counties Sligo, Leitrim, Cork, Donegal, Longford, Westmeath, Laois and Offaly. The Irish Hospital Consultants Association, the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Psychiatric Nurses Association of Ireland will confirm that the recruitment and retention crisis is affecting services across the board. The Government needs to realise that people are waiting too long and it needs to change tack. Senator Freeman has been pursuing legislation for quite some time. If the truth be told, she has been doing so uphill against the system. Too many children and young people have been waiting for far too long. They are suffering as a result. A change of approach is required.

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