Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Not at all.

I congratulate the Minister on his job, which I am sure he is looking forward to doing. He certainly has the necessary ability and insight, which he displayed as spokesperson over the past number of years. I wish him well and I hope we will work well together.

There are some issues that need addressing, particularly in Wexford, and I will get straight to them. The Minister has heard from other Deputies that, unfortunately, mental health services are in crisis, a situation that is being reported as a tsunami. If we do not halt that tsunami, the ensuing devastation will be with us for generations. More and more people's mental health is being compromised due to poor domestic situations exacerbated by staying at home, the Covid crisis, life pressures, and no jobs but bills to pay. There are also those who are already within the mental health system.

Some frightening statistics were published lately. The national spinal injuries clinic's latest report states that it had seen an increase from 1% last year to 17% in March and April 2020 in the number of patients with injuries sustained through suicide attempts. This figure seems to reflect a trend that has been seen elsewhere. In a survey conducted of 615 consultants by the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland, one third said that new onset and relapsed patient cases were on the increase.

Of particular concern in this regard are the younger and older generations. In March and April, the Mental Health Commission reported an increase of 7% in involuntary admissions by the Garda of mentally ill people since last year, most of whom were under 30 years of age. Last November, the Oireachtas committee on mental health heard that there were 2,600 fewer staff in mental health services than was recommended by the Government's A Vision for Change. The recently published ten-year roadmap, entitled Sharing the Vision, which follows 14 years on from the previous roadmap, A Vision for Change, contains no costings or details of staffing levels for the next ten years.

In Wexford, our CAMHS unit does not have a child psychologist or a dietitian for a child or otherwise and its occupational therapist is only part time. We are letting our children down. The CAMHS unit recently moved into Arden House. Although a new and fresh building and everyone is thrilled with it, it will not provide services unless a dietitian is appointed. Believe it or not, I know of a child psychologist who submitted a CV to the HSE three months ago applying for the job in Wexford. I have persistently been told by the HSE that money is not an issue but that finding an applicant is. In the three months since she applied, she has not even got a response to say that her application has been received. There is something very wrong with this. For three years, the Minister has understood these issues. He stated in many interviews during his election campaign that he would invest €200 million in our mental health services. However, if this is not and has not been a money issue, why has that child psychologist not received a response regarding a job that is so badly needed?

I get calls every day from the parents of children who need these services. The one point they keep repeating to me is that words on paper are no good and that what is needed is action. I am delivering that message to the Minister and asking him to take action. I would have no difficulty sitting down with him to discuss the CAMHS unit and the wider mental health services in Wexford. I would welcome his intervention to ensure progress by the HSE on this matter.

The next matter I will raise is of grave concern, and not just because of last night's "RTÉ Investigates" programme. Rather, it has been brought to my attention by a local day care centre, which has received little funding, but funding nonetheless, for bereavement counselling for our elderly citizens. Unfortunately, Tusla will stop making that bereavement grant available. It has instead been transferred to the HSE where an arduous process is involved. We know from last night's programme, the wider Covid crisis and the fact that we all have parents and we know what they have been through that it is imperative that the bereavement grant be made available as a matter of course. We do not need to continue showing disregard for our senior citizens. We must take the actions that are required. Many of the citizens in question are in their later years and need bereavement counselling to give them peace of mind. I call on the Minister to oversee this matter or write to me to let me know what can be done about the procedure. If a care centre has already been in receipt of bereavement funding, it should just be a matter of making a simple application to receive that funding again.

I will turn to the Hew Houghton Hospital in New Ross. A former Minister of State in the Department, the then Deputy Jim Daly, visited New Ross with me. Funding was granted. Unfortunately, however, the situation has not been furthered. The facility mainly cares for dementia patients and has been invaluable to our community, including throughout the Covid pandemic. The staff are wonderful. There has been no Covid case in the hospital, but it needs that funding and maintenance work needs to be carried out. Will the Minister give an update on the matter? Doing so in writing would not be an issue.

Many families have contacted me in recent weeks. Some nursing homes - more private ones than otherwise - have reinstituted visiting, albeit outside for 15 minutes or so per patient in some cases. People are not necessarily being denied access, and I understand the plight of the nursing homes in having to keep their patients and residents secure, but will there be guidelines for visitations, when will there be a safe period and what kind of direction and help can the Minister give private and public nursing homes? They may need more assistance, be it due to financial requirements or a lack of capacity to deal with outsiders visiting due to the social distancing requirements. Many people are now asking to see their loved ones, who are in an age bracket where they need to interact.

We will have a large number of issues to discuss in future, but I hope that we can give many of them immediate attention, in particular the CAMHS unit in Wexford. All that I request is a short meeting so that, if it is not a funding issue, we can sit down and work out what we can do to further this cause for the young people of Wexford.

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