Johnny Mythen (Wexford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The fall-out of what happened recently in our CAMHS service cannot be understated. It was the worst nightmare one could imagine. My thoughts are with the children and families directly affected. It is difficult enough to reach out for help. People now have to deal with the mistrust caused by what has happened. This will have long-term implications. The State must provide a rounded and thorough response and wraparound care packages for the young people involved and their families. We need to be mindful too of those who are watching this unfold. Young people and their families may now be very wary about seeking help. We need to restore confidence so that they will know they will get the professional support to meet their mental health needs.

It is important to recognise that we have many good people working in our mental health services who, despite the inadequate resources and dysfunctional system, provide a very caring service for our young people. The manner in which CAMHS is currently operating means its work is largely unsustainable. We have heard here about the frequency of professional burnout, as happened in my own county of Wexford in 2018 when Dr. Kieran Moore, a specialist consultant paediatric psychiatrist stated: "What the team is being asked to do is absolutely unsafe and unfair for children."

It is clear these conditions relate to the staffing recruitment and retention issues. We need more resourcing. We also need to change the national structure of our child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, to confront these issues. The State-wide CAMHS review needs to include capacity deficiencies, geographical inequalities and whether persistent consultant vacancies have contributed to inadequate care and the excessive amount of referrals. For example, 4,905 children in 2020 were deemed inappropriate. The significant workforce challenges in psychology with insufficient graduates to fill posts need to be addressed. We need to plan to achieve a minimum of 10% of healthcare budget being directed to mental health services, as agreed under Sláintecare. That level at present is less than 6%. In my own county of Wexford, that would help to fund an out-of-hours CAMHS service. The last time I asked about plans for that, the HSE said there were no immediate plans for a seven-day service in Wexford. Is that still the case? If it is, the Minister of State needs to intervene and direct the HSE to plan for an out-of-hours service in the county.

Many of the cases of mental distress in the young people with whom I deal happen in the evening, after dark, or at the weekend. They need to have somewhere to go rather than the emergency department. They need to have access to care after 5 o'clock. Let the Kerry CAMHS tragedy be a catalyst for real change in the national structure of CAMHS, which is failing our most vulnerable citizens. I thank Deputy Ward for leading on this matter and I urge every Deputy in the House to support the motion.

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