Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Much of it relates to people being inappropriately referred. If someone who is acutely sick and is referred to a CAMHS team, no psychiatrist will say they must wait 12 months. They will see people who are seriously ill. Some people with lower levels of illness are left waiting longer. There are gaps in the system and areas where we fail to recruit consultants for myriad different reasons. It goes across all disciplines in health. It is a worldwide issue. I agree with the Deputy that we need a lower level of intervention.

An independent evaluation done by the University of Limerick projects a reduction of 1,350 in the waiting list for primary care psychology as a direct result of the actions I took last year to recruit 114 assistant psychologists, 20 psychologists and ten advanced nurse practitioners, ANPs, into community primary care specifically for younger people. That is the future of CAMHS. We will solve the issue relating to CAMHS by reducing the number of people going up to it. That is a proactive approach that is working.

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