Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I dtús báire ba mhaith liom tacaíocht a thabhairt dom rún seo agus na leasuithe atá againn. We can all agree that the results of the annual report of the Mental Health Commission should give us cause for concern. Unfortunately, it comes as no surprise that there are serious problems in the mental health services. We should be especially concerned about the continuing inadequate service for children and adolescents. It is unacceptable that children under the age of 16 are still being placed in adult units. This needs to be addressed urgently. In general, the services that are available are poor in quality and, very often, vary in standards. Progress in improving these services has been slow or has not happened at all.

We should also be concerned that the existing services are badly funded and are not responding adequately to the needs of the children or their families. These vital services are further constrained by the moratorium on recruitment. We also have a retention crisis in mental health services. I have been told that there are more staff leaving the mental health service than any other area in the health sector. There are insufficient numbers of qualified staff, such as psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses. The Government’s commitment to delivery of a 24-7 mental health service has not been met.

In general, mental health services are available Monday to Friday on a 24-7 basis, but they are not available round the clock on Saturdays and Sundays. There have been many instances of people with suicidal ideation being turned away from emergency departments. The Government gave a commitment that there would be a psychiatrist available these departments on a 24-7 basis. Those who present with mental health issues, however, generally have to wait a number of hours before being seen by a psychiatrist. In my experience, during the time the individual waits to see the psychiatrist their condition may change and improve, which leads to the possibility of him or her being sent home without before being seen by the psychiatrist in their original distressed condition. This can lead to a false analysis of the individual’s true mental state. This also can happen when he or she presents at a Garda station.

There are many other issues I could highlight if I had the time. Staff in mental health services work hard under difficult circumstances. The staff and those who use the services need the best supports and the best facilities in place. Unfortunately, this is not the case at the moment. I commend Mental Health Reform, Dr. Shari McDaid and her team, who have been to the fore in highlighting mental health issues over the years. We are indebted to them.

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