Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will try not to speak for too long. The Minister of State has provided the World Health Organization's definition of health, which is not simply the absence of disease or a condition. Whatever about the World Health Organization's definition, the reality in our communities and in our health service is that there is not parity of esteem at this point in time. We have to recognise that a societal challenge still exists. Attitudes towards mental health and mental illness have significantly improved in recent years but physical and mental health are not viewed in the same way and that parity of esteem has not been achieved. Deputies, Government and society all have a responsibility to tackle that issue. That is crucially important.

An issue that may, perhaps, be addressed more rapidly is the lack of parity of esteem or of equal treatment within the health service. This can be seen in a wide range of areas. There is certainly no parity in the resources available to mental health. This lack can also be seen when one drills down into community services. My area of Cork is part of the same community healthcare organisation, CHO, area as Kerry. It would be remiss of me not to once again make the point that the numbers on waiting lists for psychology, psychiatry and child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, in this CHO area are among the highest in the country. In fact, the number on the waiting list for CAMHS is the highest in the country. That problem has been outstanding for a very long time. There are approximately 2,200 people on the waiting list for CAMHS in Cork and Kerry, 162 of whom have been on it for more than a year. That is absolutely unacceptable. These young people and their families are being left in a crisis situation for far too long.

A psychology position in CAMHS in the Cork north Lee HSE area has had to be readvertised as it was not filled. That vacancy has been outstanding for well in excess of a year. It may well have been vacant for two years at this stage. That is unacceptable and it is a further sign that not enough emphasis is placed on these issues. It is always a matter of being penny wise but pound foolish. It may be questioned whether it is even penny wise. When one fails to deal with things promptly, things escalate, people's issues and conditions become more severe and they need more extensive and more sustained treatment. We have never dealt with these issues at that early intervention stage.

The final point I will make in respect of parity of esteem is that there is an issue regarding discharges from the acute hospitals at times, although not always. I have raised some of these issues with the hospital group in Cork and Kerry. People who have been admitted as a result of mental illness or of difficulties or conditions relating to their mental health are, at times, discharged very rapidly. I appreciate that some of this relates to the severe pressure on our hospitals as a result of the Covid situation but I have come across instances of people who I have fed into the system being discharged in situations which were not appropriate, in which there was insufficient preparation and in which supports were not in place. One person I know of, who was not in the most severe part of their crisis, although they were still in a crisis situation, was left to their own devices and put out onto the street with very little support or guidance. The networks were not there for them. That is an area that needs to be tackled. We would not discharge somebody with a physical condition unless we were confident that they had somewhere safe and secure to go. With regard to parity of esteem, the area of discharges needs to be dealt with.

I will also emphasise once again that the resourcing issues in Cork and Kerry need to be dealt with. The waiting lists are too long. Young people and adults are suffering unnecessarily. Their crises are being extended. It is not good enough.

See this speech in context