Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, a good evening and thank her for joining us.

The Minister of State will be well aware of the child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, located in Arden House, Wexford. After a three-year absence of a child psychologist, I am glad to say an appointment finally was made in August last.

According to the Government's A Vision for Change document, a full complement of staff, were it to be had, would comprise one consultant psychologist, which Wexford has; and one doctor in training, which Wexford has not, although there is one non-consultant hospital doctor, NCHD. There also would be two mental health nurses, which Wexford has; two clinical nurse specialists; and two clinical psychologists, of which Wexford has one. There would be two social workers - Wexford has one agency social worker - and one occupational therapist, which Wexford has, as well as one speech and language therapist - it has a half-time speech and language therapist. It would have one childcare worker - we have none - and two administrative staff, which we have.

The referrals are being rejected at a rate of knots at CAMHS in Wexford. Basically, Arden House has done no attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, ADHD, assessment since December 2021. Some 46% of all referrals are for ADHD, according to the HSE's statistics, and not one has been carried out in Wexford for six months. I have received numerous representations from GPs who have complained that they sit down with mental health patients, be they young children or adolescents, and they spend a long time filling in arduous forms, only to have them rejected by CAMHS. The services are just not seeing them. I then get representations from the families who make the same complaint. What is happening is that these children end up some weeks later in the department of psychiatry, DOP, in Waterford, having tried to take their own lives. They are referred back by the DOP to Arden House to be seen then. That is just not good enough in any woman's or man's language. Families are in despair that their children are being rejected even though they are being referred by their GP. The worst-case scenario is they try to take their own lives before they are seen.

What has me here today? Before I proceed to that, I want to quote the psychiatrist, Dr. Kieran Moore, who resigned his position in CAMHS three years ago because there were no support services, from a published article he wrote. He is a consultant paediatric liaison psychiatrist. Basically, he was saying the HSE does one thing well and that is hire managers. The extract states:

According to its own website: “the health service executive (“H.S.E.”) in Ireland provides health and social services to everyone living in Ireland.... young and old, in hospitals, health facilities and in communities.” The website also says: “The H.S.E. is required under section 35 of the Health Act 2004 to have in place a code of governance. Governance can be defined as the framework of rules, practices and policies by which an organisation can ensure accountability, fairness and transparency in an organisation’s relationship with its stakeholders.

Almost every employee working in the HSE is regulated externally. However there is no external regulation of managers.

What has arisen today in Wexford is all over national media and social media. A clinical nurse specialist with 30 years experience, and 14 years in CAMHS, is being moved from his position in Arden House to north County Wexford at a time the other clinical nurse specialist is going on maternity leave. Both are being replaced by what is referred to as an acting clinical nurse with two years 'experience to take care of 170 families. I have been inundated with the distressed families who are suffering at the hands of whoever made this decision. I plead with the Minister.

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