Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

First of all, this is an area that needs more resources and better results. I do not believe that anyone in this House, and certainly not on this side, would contest that. However, it is an area into which we are putting many more resources. In the budget, an extra €55 million was assigned to mental health services, bringing the overall budget for 2019 to nearly €1 billion. It is not like financial resources are not being increased. That said, it is not just about financial resources.

The HSE is committed to ensuring that all aspects of CAMHS are delivered in a consistent and timely fashion, including improved access to age appropriate units. In 2015, the executive introduced a new standard operating procedure for inpatient and community CAMHS. This has contributed to improving services overall, including a reduction in inappropriate admissions of adolescents to adult units. It is also designed to reduce CAMHS waiting lists, particularly for those waiting longer than a year. Access is based on professional clinical assessment and urgent cases are seen as a priority.

Last year, 114 new assistant psychologists and 20 psychologists were recruited to HSE primary care services to help relieve pressure on the specialist CAMHS. The Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, recently approved ten new advanced nurse practitioner posts to improve CAMHS. On the policy front, work is ongoing to complete and refresh A Vision for Change and to produce a draft report, which will be completed shortly. I do not have a draft timeframe, but I will try to get the timetable for the Deputy, as this is not the first time he has raised the issue.

The key objective - it is the only objective, really - is to enhance services overall. There is a recognition that we have had recruitment difficulties in this area. We have provided more funding to address that and recruitment is happening. It needs to continue to happen so that we provide consistent timelines across the country and there are no black spots where young children wait for far too long to get the support and care they need. It is an ongoing process to improve those services by increasing funding and recruitment. Both are happening.

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