James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

My matter is focused on the general issues and the lack of services for child mental health throughout the country. For example, more than 6,500 children were waiting for a primary care psychology appointment at the end of May 2018. Some 1,700 of them had been waiting for more than a year to be seen.

Demand for child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, is increasing; almost 3,000 children are now waiting for a first appointment. In excess of 300 of them have been waiting more than a year for a first assessment. This is an intolerable wait for children to see a specialist. The psychology services and CAMHS, which is our acute mental health service, are sister services. Delays in community psychology services are leading to increased pressure on the acute services offered by CAMHS.

Unfortunately, it gets worse. The number of children who are being admitted to adult units increased by 20% in the past year. Children who should not be in those units are being admitted to them, which is contrary to Government policy. Doctors and families are left with a Hobson's choice of either getting the services in an appropriate setting or not getting them. That is totally inappropriate.

There are no multidisciplinary teams to support parents and children when they need help. In my county of Wexford, for example, there should be three consultant child psychiatrists but there is none. There are only two approved but there is none for an entire county of 150,000 people. There is a 34-month waiting list for child psychology services in County Wexford, and urgent cases cannot be taken. Last October, the Minister promised a new site to replace the inappropriate facilities that specialists are working out of currently The site was promised for this summer. Now it is September and what I am being told locally is that the building is being rented.

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