Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Daly, I thank the Deputies for raising this matter. He apologises that he cannot be present.

One of the Government’s priorities is ensuring appropriate and accessible mental health services for children who need them. This is reflected by a budget 2018 allocation of an additional €35 million for new developments, bringing total HSE mental health funding this year to more than €910 million. The HSE service plan 2018 commits to further development of CAMHS against a background where the population of children is expected to increase and where the demand for CAMHS has seen a significant increase in recent years. Approximately 18,800 referrals are expected for HSE CAMHS this year, with 14,300 being seen by this specialist service. Additional resources and facilities means there are now 69 CAMHS teams and three paediatric liaison teams, supported by 68 operational CAMHS beds nationally, with further beds planned to come onstream in the near future. Since 2012, more than 1,300 health professionals have been recruited across mental health to modernise and improve services. However, there are widely acknowledged difficulties in recruiting and retaining specialist CAMHS staff, particularly consultant psychiatrists. The HSE acknowledges that the lack of consultant cover can impact on access to services locally. It is working to explore all avenues for the recruitment of qualified staff to fill vacancies, particularly in areas such as consultant, psychologist and nursing posts. The HSE is working to provide the best CAMHS service within available staffing resources.

A key approach to developing wider services for young people, and thereby reducing pressures on CAMHS, is the decision by Government to increase access to counselling services in primary care, with the appointment of 114 assistant psychologists and 20 psychologists nationally.

In addition, the Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, recently approved ten new posts for advanced nurse practitioners who will be specifically directed to CAMHS. Other CAMHS-specific measures included in the HSE service plan include increasing the number of CAMHS referrals to be seen this year by 27% compared with 2017, providing for a seven-day per week service for CAMHS to ensure supports for young people in line with the Connecting for Life strategy, improving CAMHS day hospital services and developing eating disorder specialist community teams for young people. The Minister of State has set as a priority with the HSE the development of a 24-hour helpline, as well as digital support services. These will enhance access to supports and, where appropriate, facilitate early and urgent interventions using innovative digital technologies.

The Cork Kerry Community Healthcare organisation has approximately 168,000 young people under the age of 18, in line with the national average of 25% of the population. A CAMHS enhancement project commenced in September 2017 given local and national concerns about the growing demand for CAMHS services in the area. As a priority, the initial focus has been on reducing waiting times in excess of 12 months in Cork and Kerry. However, in the longer term, the project aspires to address both system and culture practice changes to improve access to CAMHS.

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